The Nameless Fic
by The Insane Shanchan
Summary: Normal Disclaimers apply. Not our characters except for a few. Please read and review. I know people may think it sucks. It does b/c it's more than 2 years old... but we tried. and r-chan's writing is GOOD. ^_^ mine just sucks monkeys. Reviewer, i know.
1. Prologue

Nameless fic _________ Prologue by rinoastar and Shanchan Story by Shanchan and rinoastar _________  
  
In the year A.C. 196, the war had been raging between the Space Colonies and the Earth for approximately a year and a half. The five scientists, creators of the infamous Gundam fleet, had been working on a secret for a few months. On this particular day, a bright day in July, the five men were gathered in a room. Doctor J. smiled, or rather, leered at the other scientists. " So. How have you done? " He said in his gravely voice. Professor G. glared back. "I've done quite well, thank you. This new gundam will be better than the Wing Zero, when I'm through, " he replied. "You mean to tell me you aren't through, yet? " Doctor S. positively crowed. "We don't have time for that. Can it fly now? " " Hai. It flies. It needs more defenses, though. It has a mediocre reaction time, and, at the time being, is about equal to one of OZ's new Mercurius," Doctor J. beamed, proud of himself. Instructor H. smiled and turned to his newest Gundam, hidden by a coverlet. "My newest, the Desert Flower, has an excellent system in it. It is unmatched by any of the Gundams in space today. It uses the technology of the Sandrock, but improved space management and more realistic artificial gravity. It also has more hidden firepower, including two uzis and the original blades, but a photonic blaster, as well, when the ammunition runs out. It seems that the Gundam Heavyarms is quite excellent in that effect," H. sneered at Doktor S. " Aa. But my newest, the Spritefire, tackles the entire concept of speed control head on . It has enough firepower to effectively avoid confrontation, but, should it be trapped in a hopeless situation, its near perfect handling and amazing top speed will persevere," G. replied. " Stop arguing. I think the only reason either of you would have to brag is if you found the new pilot for these monstrosities," Master O glared at them. The scientists looked nervous. " I've got an idea of what to look for," Professor G. stated. "I assume that since some of the most formidable pilots, other than the ones we trained, are female, and I think I should be looking for a female." "Copycat! Sometimes I swear you look into my notes!" Dr. J. glared. "I was looking for a female that could be trained with as little trouble as possible. " "Just don't train her into the silent soldier that you did the other one. Duo has complained more than once that he never speaks," Professor G. smirked slightly. " It doesn't matter. I've found enough girls for each of you to find 'the one' for training, "Professor G. held a fat folder up. " Great minds think alike, "Instructor H. dryly said. G. Rolled his eyes and opened the folder. " This one, "he pointed to a girl of about fifteen, " is a good choice. I've already laid claim to her. " "How romantic. Did you 'lay claim' to your wife, too? "Doktor S. grinned. "Her name is Serena Silverman. We'll find her here," he pointed to an address. " Look through this, "he dropped the file on the table. The professors jumped on the papers like a group of piranhas. After a few minutes of deliberation, and a lot of arguing, each man had his own picture. " Well, who did you choose?" G. Asked. H. Spoke first. " Her name is Elizabeth Starr, "the picture he held in his hands showed a slender, but not skinny, girl of about sixteen. Her elbow-length brown hair was tied back with a soft satin ribbon. She wore thin-framed round glasses, but in attached photos, did not. In fact, her eyes were not the same color in any of the pictures. " Contact lenses. She is a mistress of disguise, and can look like almost anyone," to prove his point, he showed G. a photo of Elizabeth wearing Lady Une-esque buns, her glasses perched on her nose . She was a close match, although she did not have bangs. S. glared . Apparently, he'd been eying the same girl, but reluctantly raised his own photograph. " She's Dominique Killian, " the picture showed a young girl with short blonde hair. She wore an impish look in her clear grey eyes. She looked too young to be a pilot. "Don't let appearances fool you . She's been trained as a guerilla fighter since the war broke out. She's referred to as Megami, since she is obviously superior to any of her enemies . She doesn't belong on the ground in dirty jails . She belongs in the skies . " " Thank you for your impassioned speech, S. I still believe that my girl, Hinoko Yuy, is much better . She was not trained in anything, but has been arrested as a pickpocket three times . She somehow managed to sneak into Romefellars' headquarters and stole a few scarves, that went unmissed, and escaped without being caught . They were found on her when she was caught the second time," J. broke into the conversation . " Mine is the best . She is obviously the most intelligent . She will be a perfect addition to the group . Shimei Zhang, " he showed the photograph of a small chinese girl . She had shoulder length black hair and dark chocolate, almost black eyes . She held a pious expression, not unlike O.'s last mentor, Chang Wufei . " She's a doctor . Trained for the last ten years on her colony, she has, as some observers have described, 'mystical healing powers' . " " Hah ! And you bought that ? " S. sneered . " Hn, " G. smirked at the bickering . Are any of you ready to see mine ? " He produced a single photograph . " Serena Silverman . A brilliant young lady . She's often been seen here, " he gestured to an address . " She's definitely leader material . " " You can't stand it that my prodigy is the leader of the boys ! Admit it ! " J.'s face turned an angry purple . " Don't flatter yourself ! No one cares that your 'prodigy' was so frightening and cold that the others were afraid to mess with him ! "O. grinned . " FRIGHTENING AND COLD ?! " J. boomed . The other scientists laughed . " That may work to intimidate a teenager, but not me . I'm too old for you too scare . Even OZ doesn't scare me ! " S. cackled . " Let's get down to business, " H. said abruptly, interrupting . _________  
  
Colony L1  
  
Hinoko Yuy grinned as she dodged the old stiff in front of her . She bet that he had at least twenty thousand on him . She lithely rubbed against him, and grinned again as he stared down at her " Pardon, miss ? " he asked . He looked like the type to call the police on her, if he knew what she was up to . She giggled and decided to try flattery . Obviously he was rich enough to be tricked by flattery, but not dumb enough to be outright lied to . " Oh ! " she faked surprise . " I thought you were my boyfriend, " she purred, reaching for his ever-elusive wallet . At first, it seemed to work, but she soon found her arm-twisted painfully behind her . " Owww ! What are you doing ? " she demanded . He glared down at her . " Do you take me for an idiot ? " he growled into her face . She glared back at him . Then she got an idea . " Hey ! Leggo ! You're hurting me ! Is this supposed to be funny, William ? " she yelled . People turned and stared at the tiny girl with such a loud voice . She knew her guess at his name had struck true when his eyes widened . " What's going on here, miss ? " a nearby policeman approached . " Is he bothering you ? " " I told William I didn't like these games, but he's still bothering me ! Now he's breaking my arm ! " she forced fake tears into her eyes " Is this true ? " the policeman asked . She nodded fiercely . Of course, William had to choose now to get his voice back . " No ! Officer, I am a law-abiding citizen of this colony, and this girl was trying to steal from me ! " William cried . Hinoko gasped and glared into his face . " That's not true ! Willie, darling, are you really so angry that you want me arrested ? " Hinoko faux sobbed in a loud, dramatic voice . The policeman looked confused, before sighing . " I don't know which to believe . Let her go . " William made a soft choking sound before releasing her arm . Hinoko saluted the gentlemen before walking calmly into the crowd . She heard them realizing that she had their wallets . ' Another job well done, ' she congratulated herself before a blindfold came down over her eyes . She shrieked, then smelled concentrated alcohol and all went dark . _________  
  
Colony L2  
  
Serena Silverman wiped the sweat from her brow before leaning over the barre again . Her ballet was merely one of the many dancing classes she took in an attempt to acquire the grace her mother had had . After ballet, she had tap, and then finally ballroom . Then she could get away from this rigorous training that her boarding school assigned all females . " The guys get to play sports, " she mused as she massaged her aching calves, " and we're stuck in ballet ! " " Cheer up . At least you're really good at it ! " an unknown classmate complained . " I can't even handle tap, and that's all memorization ! " " Is not . It's grace and talent, too ! Serena-hime knows all about it, huh ? " an annoying auburn haired girl sneered at Serena . In response, Serena rolled her eyes and pulled her bun down . " I'm out of here, " Serena smirked at the girls in the room . " Ooh, where are you going ? " the first girl asked . " I'm going to go teach those boys how to play basketball ! " Serena grinned, pleased that the girls frowned and left her alone . " Then, I'm going to go to art early !" Serena padded to the changing room at the ballet room and kicked her baby blue shoes across the room . They landed with a thud and she grinned . She jerked her school skirt over the leotard, glad it had white stockings to match . Then she pulled on her blouse and vest, buttoning them as she ran out the door, gathering her shoes on her way . People stared at the girl who almost flew past them, a cape of dark black hair trailing after her . She raced to the court, breathless when she arrived . The boys looked up from their huddles to see her . " Well, look it who's here !" a boy, Ryan, snickered to his friends . " Hey, she's here again !" The coach walked over to her, shaking his head . " You aren't supposed to be here . Why don't you go back to dance, or wherever the girls are supposed to be ?" Serena firmly planted her hands on her hips . " I wanna play . Please ? I promise, if you let me play now, I won't ask again !" The coach sighed and wrung his hands . " I'm not supposed to allow a girl to participate in contact sports with boys ." " I won't tell anyone ! Please ?" Serena pleaded . " No one will ever know !" " Half the school followed you out here !" he frowned . Serena growled slightly . " On my parents' graves, I swear that if you don't let me play, I'll come back out here every day, God willing !" she snapped . She could hear the boys laughing at her, but she was too far in to back down now . " Aw, let her, Coach !" Ryan chortled . " I don't think the guys'd mind !" Serena turned and gave him the Silverman Glare of Death, which, coincidentally, is similar to the Heero Yuy Glare of Death . " Aa, I guess so," the coach didn't look happy to be letting her play .. The glare was long forgotten when Serena grinned up at him, her smile as bright as sunshine . He tossed her the ball and she dribbled it onto the court . " Which team am I on ?" she asked cheerfully . Ryan raised his hand and she jogged over to him . " You know, I was hoping I'd be on their team," she whispered . " Why ? Is there a really hot guy on that team ?" he whispered back . She shook her head . " I was just looking forward to kicking your ass," she stated simply before racing after the boy with the ball . Ryan's eyes widened and he stood up, watching her run . Serena played the hardest she'd ever played before, shooting baskets at an accuracy of about eighty-five percent and effectively keeping the other team from scoring often . Then, as she raced after the ball, one of her 'teammates' ran up next to her . She grinned at him, but he seemed aggravated . " You're making us look bad !" he snarled before shoving her hard to the ground . Serena fell quickly, tearing her stockings and scraping her leg from hip to knee . " Ow !" she cried . " You creep !" The coach blew his whistle frantically, calling the game to a stop . " What was all of this about ? What did you say to him ?" the coach's eyes narrowed . Serena's jaw dropped in disbelief . " Nothing ! I was running, and he knocked me down !" she said self-righteously . " Hey, you !" the coach yelled to a girl standing at the edge of the court . " Take her to the nurse !" " Hey, what about the game ?" Serena gasped as she painfully stood . She could feel the blood dripping down her leg . She looked down . " Oh, Madame is going to KILL me !" The stockings of her leotard were shredded and bloody . " The game's the least of YOUR worries, " Ryan whispered malevolently to her . Her eyes widened and she glared back . " Come on, " the girl said and grabbed Serena's hand . She blinked back tears and followed to the nurse . At the nurse's office, the girl glared at her ." You can't leave well enough alone, can you ? You always have to be the best at everything ! You can't stand being the best dancer, the best student, the best artist, you have to go play basketball against the boys to prove that you're better at those then them, too ! " I as better than them ?" Serena asked hopefully . The girl threw her hands up in defeat . " You weren't just better than them . You were so good, the coach was saying things like, and 'If she wasn't a she . . .' the girl grinned " Really ? " Serena's eyes lit up . " For real ?" The girl nodded . Serena grinned widely and giggled . The nurse entered the room, clipboard in hand . " Silverman, Serena ?" she asked . Serena nodded . " Aa . Looks like you tore yourself up pretty badly ." " I didn't do it," Serena seethed . " I was playing basketball and a guy knocked me down ." " Aa," the nurse nodded and wrote it down . " So you're a spunky kid . Kind of like myself when I was young," she grinned at her . " My parents and teachers had a hard time keeping me out of trouble ." Serena giggled and the nurse smiled warmly . The older woman left the room briefly, and returned .. " Your Grandfather's here to see you," she motioned for the other girl to leave Serena alone with her company . They left Serena alone to her thoughts . ' But I don't have a grandpa, ' Serena thought as the door opened . A man, definitely old enough to be her grandfather, entered the room . " Who are you ?" she demanded . The man made no move to speak, but instead grabbed her arm and held her still as he pressed a cloth to her mouth and nose . _________  
  
Colony L3  
  
Dominique Killian stilled in her sleep, hearing faint sounds accustomed to camp float into her tent . She moaned slightly and rolled over . Outside, a twig cracked slightly and Dominique jolted awake . She grabbed the flap of her tent and her gun, throwing open the heavy burlap and thrusting out her gun . It was just Jeanne . " If you were someone else, I would have killed you," she glared up at him . " Just testing your reflexes," he grinned, pushing the flap aside and joining her on the sleeping bag . Looking around, he sighed . " I swear . They always give you the best tents ." " Anything for Megami . I'm your goddess ! Besides . I don't wanna be holed up in this camp anymore . The sooner I get to a nice, warm bed, the better," she grinned . " Aa, you're full of yourself," Jeanne grinned at her, white teeth shimmering in the dark . " Would you have me any other way ?" Dominique giggled before laying down . " Now get lost ! I'm going to need my beauty sleep !" " Oh, fine . Night," Jeanne saluted before leaving . Dominique smiled to her dark tent and rolled over . Her mind wandered to  
  
the day's events . Their team, a quadrant of guerilla fighters bent on protecting their tiny colony, had been sent on a new mission . When they got there, however, they found no traces of danger, no problems, no trouble It had taken them the better part of the day just to get away from the trap that they'd been in . Dominique had been so angry at 'Boss, ' the man that sent their plans, that she had cursed the entire way back . Then to sate her fury, they'd looked up the origins of the plan . It hadn't been Boss that sent it . It was sent by a man named 'S' . He said simply that he had business to discuss with the group . Dominique had sworn that they wouldn't take orders from someone who lied to them, and most of the others, except Jeanne, had agreed . Now she was a bit edgy, fearing that S wouldn't take 'no' for an answer . As she lay pondering her dilemma, she heard a twig crack outside . ' It's just Jeanne again, trying to see how far he can push me, ' she thought . She lay on her sleeping bag and lazily rolled face up . A dark shadow moved at the end of her tent . " S !" she cried, before the shadow overtook her and placed the cloth over her face . " Well, little one, it seems you aren't as stupid as the others think," the shadow murmured . ________  
  
Colony L4  
  
Elizabeth Starr lay down her bow and sighed uncomfortably. She had that bored feeling, like she knew that she wanted to do something, but didn't know what. She reached for her pencil and art pad, feeling a something, no, someone, at the back of her mind. The pencil seemed to flow across the paper, as usual, but when she came to the eyes, she couldn't get them to seem right . She ripped the page out and sketched a few types of eyes on the page. Too squinty. Elizabeth crossed them out and drew again. These seemed almost right, but they were missing something. She reached for her watercolors instinctively, grabbing the softest aqua she owned. Carefully rimming the new eyes in a heavy navy line, she filled them with a light tourmaline. Now that looked right . She copied the eyes into the picture, coloring them and laying it to dry. Standing resolutely, she wandered into the kitchen of her tiny apartment for her evening meal. She was greeted by pictures similar to the one she had just finished, one with violet eyes, that she couldn't decide if it was male or female, one with dark brown, almost black, eyes, probably of Asian descent, one of a mean looking boy with cold dark blue eyes, and one of a boy with strange hair and amazing emerald eyes. Grinning to the bishonen on her walls, she turned to the cabinets and rummaged through them. In her bedroom, she heard her watercolors crash as they fell. She cursed slightly, wishing her roommates weren't so clumsy. "Katlin, if you want to use my paints ask me, okay ?" she snapped, hoping that her disrespectful roommate had not ruined her picture of . . . whoever it was She had a feeling that he would soon become important, and besides, he was the cutest of them so far ! Elizabeth turned to go to her room, sandwich in hand, and saw a complete stranger in her room . She screamed and dropped her food . The man quickly approached her, holding the picture . " Aa . So you've met Quatre ? " He asked before placing a cloth that smelled like alcohol over her face . ________  
  
Colony L5  
  
Shimei sat on her bed, meditating. It's midnight, and she will continue this process for 2 more hours. This builds her chi, and is very good for her health. So far she has been successful in keeping her martial art skills secret. Hopefully, she will be able to use this skill soon. *Breath in, breath out. Feel your chi pass through the pressure points of your body. Be calm and let it pass through!* She thought to herself. This continued for an hour. Suddenly there was a knock at her door. "Come in!" She yelled. "Thank you," said a figure as it walked inside. "What do you want?" Shimei asked, her voice icy cold. "Can you help my friend?" The man asked. Shimei looked at the man. "Sure! I could use some business!" The man brought his friend in, and Shimei checked his pulse. Then she gave him some herbal medicine. The man thanked her and paid her. Then they left. Shimei sat back down and sighed. It was late, and she hoped no one would come distract her for the rest of the night. Soon she fell asleep. //BANG// A loud crash woke Shimei and she leaped out of bed. "Who is it?" She asked in a hostile voice. "Just a old man trying to find a place to stay!" A old voice said. "Well, this isn't a hotel. You can stay, but please, stay over in that corner!" Shimei's voice softened a bit. "Which corner? Can you lead me to it? It's so dark I cannot see!" "OK, be there in a minute!" Shimei ran over to help the old man, but before she could, she felt a blindfold cover her eyes, and all went black as a wet cloth was pressed into her face. _________  
  
The Scientists' Lair (bwahaha) The five scientists looked down on the five teenage girls tied to chairs in front of them . H. cleared his throat softly, trying not to wake the girls asleep in front of him . " Are you sure that this is the way we should have gone ? Suppose they are angry and refuse to train ?" " We won't give them a chance . If they refuse to train, we'll simply kill them," S. replied . Seeing the others' doubtful expressions, he choked slightly, " This IS war, you know, you pansies! Besides, I was just joking !" The other scientists still looked nervous and edged away . In the group of girls, Shimei was the first to stir . " Hey ! What do you think you're doing ?" she yelled, tossing her dark hair from her face . Her frantic yelling woke the other girls . " Ah ! Hentai no baka !" Hinoko shrieked . Her voice echoed in the vast room . " What's going on here ?" Elizabeth yipped . She threw her ponytail over her shoulder with a toss of her head . " Who are you ?" Dominique growled fiercely, fighting her bonds . " Let us go, you perverts ! You're all old enough to be our grandparents !" Serena glared her Glare of Death at them . S. smirked at them . " No fear, girlies . We're not going to do anything to you . We're here to give you a chance to protect the lives and people you love . We're here to offer you these," he gestured to the Gundams lining the darkened room, which lightened up with a flick of a switch by O. 


	2. Hinoko's Past

Chapter 1: Hinoko's Past  
  
Chapter by: Shanchan Story by: Shanchan and Rinoastar  
  
Hinoko opened up her diary and started to write in it.  
  
*There are five of us, grandpa and the others said. Our mission is to go to earth to find and bring back the five gundam pilots. I really don't know why he wants us to do that. I really don't understand Grandpa. Maybe that time he was locked up during the war a year ago did something to his brain. Well, I'm still upset that he didn't let me fight to avenge my father's death. My father was the REAL Heero Yuy, not that boy who uses his name. I feel sorry for the poor boy. He doesn't have a real name for himself. (Sigh!) I guess I'll have to call him that. There has only been six months of peace since the last war. I hope it will last, but I know my hopes are futile. No matter how much I wish to be ignorant, deep inside I know the truth. The goddamned fucking fact is that there will be more war. Grandpa says it is the last, but I am doubtful. Of course I have to admit Lady Une of OZ and Relena Peacecraft are doing a really great job in keeping the colonies and the Earth happy, but how long will it last? They are so peace loving and naive, especially Relena. She is the Royal Princess of the Cinq Kingdom that was destroyed 13 years ago. I feel sorry for her because she doesn't remember her real father and the only relative she has is Zechs Marquis, or Milliardo Peacecraft. After the destruction of his kingdom, Milliardo used Zechs as his name. He was afraid to ruin his family honor. Such a stupid thing to do! He was a soldier that wanted peace. It did nothing to his family honor! Grandpa also said we would get a reward after we came back with the five boys. Wonder what it is. I hope we will be rewarded with the chance to fight. We already got our gundams. Mine is Talon. I wanted to fight in the first war. It wasn't just because I wanted to help the colonies, or because I wanted to become a heroine. It was for myself. I wanted my hands to be stained with the blood of the people who killed my father. I wanted to get revenge for my parents. I know mother would never have died if father didn't die. It's all OZ's fault! But now, it's too late! OZ has changed. The people who used to control it has either changed or died. There is no one for me to seek revenge on any more. I feel so lost and lonely! * [End Diary Entry]  
  
Tears rolled down Hinoko's cheeks as she put down her pencil. She thought of her parents. Parents she never had a chance to know, never had a chance to meet. Hinoko was very beautiful, like her mother. She had long blond hair that reached her waist. She usually let it down and her beauty was unmistakable. She loved her sapphire eyes that she also inherited from her mother. Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she smiled. Hinoko was a girl who was as strong and smart as she was beautiful. Her grandfather, Doctor J raised her since she was born. He taught her martial arts and how to pilot a gundam. No one other than Doctor J knew who Hinoko's father was. She didn't know either until the day before Operation Meteor. Doctor J sat her down and told her all about her family.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
"Hinoko, it is time for you to know the truth." Doctor J started.  
  
[DOCTOR J'S FLASHBACK]  
  
"Heero Yuy, the famous peace keeper and leader of the colonies was assassinated today!" the TV broadcast said. A young woman in her early twenties stopped what she was doing suddenly. The woman was Heero's wife. She had shoulder length blond hair that covered her ears. She looked at the screen. Tears blurred her sapphire eyes.  
  
"No! No! It can't be! Not now! Not when everything seems so well! Please, please don't let it be this way!" she whispered to the television. Of course no one could hear her.  
  
She walked into the kitchen and pulled out a kitchen knife. She was about to stab it into her chest, when she remembered something. She dropped the knife and ran into her bedroom. She lay on her bed and cried. She wanted to let out all her sorrow. After she was in control of herself again, she decided it was time to pay her dear father a visit. She hadn't seen her father for more than five years and hoped he would welcome her.  
  
When she arrived at the tiny place where her father lived, her father was worried. She carried everything she needed. He old sensed something was wrong and he didn't know what it was. He was determined to find out though. A month past and he had still had no clue to why his daughter came. She seemed weak but had a huge appetite. When he asked what's wrong, she just shook her head. A month later, he realized what had happened. His daughter was pregnant.  
  
"To whom, may I ask did you loose your virginity?" the old man asked.  
  
"My husband, Heero Yuy, of course!" the woman replied as if that was the most stupid question she ever heard.  
  
"So that's why you came here.."  
  
"Yes, father! I came here so I could give birth to my child. I didn't want everyone in this world knowing."  
  
That night, Doctor J sprayed something on his daughter. It seemed to let her drift into a deep sleep.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
"I froze your mother that night. I was planning on unfreezing her after a year, but time passed, and soon it was five years. It was the year AC 180, and I decided to finally unfreeze her. It was six months later when you were born," Doctor J continued his story.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
The woman smiled and gently kissed the baby in her arms. She looked at her child; her eyes filled with sorrow and love for she knew the baby would not be able to receive a mother's love. She was needed elsewhere and had to leave, but first, her child needs a name.  
  
"Daddy, what should I name her?"  
  
"Let me think.How about Hinoko?" her father suggested.  
  
"Hinoko. Hinoko. Child of Fire. Maybe she'll be like fire. Loved, feared and strong. Never giving up, always present to people in times of need, yet one of the most heartless things," her voice trailed off. Then as an after thought she said to her father, "Yes that's a very good name. Thank you father."  
  
The woman nodded her head and after kissing the girl in her arms one last time, she placed the girl in her crib and went into the kitchen. Her father didn't think much of it until he noticed she has spent almost thirty minutes in there. When he went to see if she was all right, he was stunned. She lay in a pool of blood. Her throat was cut open and a kitchen knife was in her hands. Her father suddenly realized why she came. The pain that was enforced upon her at the time of her husband's death was great, but since she knew she had a daughter, she lived to give birth to the girl. She didn't want any publicity and so chose to live with her father. When the child was born, she could go without any regrets for she left behind a child. The child could seek revenge and carry out her father's legacy. The old man decided that his granddaughter needed to go through a special training. And this special training required him not be her family. He could care for her, but couldn't show feelings of love towards her.  
  
At the age of three, the girl started to learn how to read, write and do mathematics. She was smart and learned quickly. By the time she was 13, she already learned calculus and all the other high school courses. The girl was forced to go to school when she was six. She didn't know why for all the things school taught was too easy for her. She wanted to learn new things. Also the other kids were mean. They teased her about being an orphan and living with Doctor J. People at her school thought Doctor J was a stupid, ignorant old man that knew nothing about the outside world. He only cared to go to an underground lab to do who knows what. Some wondered how he was able to raise Hinoko. Hinoko got very mad at the teasing. She swore that one-day those boys would be sorry they ever made fun of her. She would teach them a lesson they would never forget. She would show them that it was not a good idea to pick on Hinoko, for Hinoko was a lot more than she seemed.  
  
When she went home, she told Doctor J what she promised herself. Doctor J smiled knowingly and asked, "Would you like me to train you?" She told him yes. That was exactly what she wanted. So each day the doctor would explain to her about martial arts and how to fight. Doctor J was not an expert in the art, but managed to teach all he knew to his grand daughter. One day, after the training was complete, his grand daughter was suspended from school for beating up all the boys. Hinoko was happy and proud. Doctor J was too.  
  
One day when Hinoko was ten, she came home really angry. Doctor J asked her what was wrong. "Some one stole my gel pens. He said he found them, but I know they're mine!" You see, even though Hinoko was sometimes a tomboy, she loved beautiful things. Her favorite possessions were her gel pens, so it was quite natural for her to get mad.  
  
"Would you like me to teach you a way of getting them back?"  
  
"Yes, Doctor J, please!"  
  
"Ok, what you do is." Doctor J started to teach her the art of pick pocketing. Hinoko was able to master all the techniques in two weeks, and she was able to get her pens back.  
  
END DOCTOR J'S FLASHBACK  
  
Doctor J smiled as he thought how Hinoko later on used her talents to support the two. She pick-pocketed a lot of people and earned the money they needed to survive. She was never caught. Many times she got very close, but her intelligence and beauty always pulled her out of danger. "You have always been like that, strong willed and wonderful. Of course I couldn't tell you that you were my granddaughter. It would have been too much of a surprise! I didn't want to hurt you by hiding it, but there was no other choice. As you know, I have trained you to be a pilot, a martial artist and a pick pocket. It's amazing what these schools now could trigger in some one's mind. For once, I think school is worth something! But I'm afraid this is not the time for you to show off your skills. Your day will come, do not worry. It will come some day. I just hope you will not hate me for sending a boy. A boy whose code name is Heero Yuy to do the job," Doctor J finished what he needed to say.  
  
Hinoko was not happy. She wanted to know why he did what he wanted to do. Why he decided she needed to stay in the colony. She couldn't understand. "But why? Why am I not allowed to go? Why must Heero go? And who is Heero? You've never mentioned him to me before!"  
  
"Of course I haven't dear! You see, he is the boy I have been training all this time. He is the one who will pilot the gundam I have been working on. He will help destroy OZ!"  
  
"OZ?! But grandpa! That is the organization that killed father! I should be the one who should get revenge! Not Heero!"  
  
"Ah! Hinoko, you are wrong. Heero knows how the people of the colonies feel. He is the best person to go on this mission. This mission is for the colonies, not for one's self. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, but I still wish you would let me go."  
  
"Don't worry, your time will come!"  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Hinoko looked out the shuttle's windows. That was almost two years ago. She was almost fifteen then, just a few more months. Now she is sixteen. Her time has come. Hinoko smiled as she remembered the day where she successfully pick-pocketed two men. That was the day she received her first mission and her gundam, Talon.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
The gundams were uncovered in front of five girls. Two had midnight hair and two had blond. The other had brown hair. Four out of five of them were kidnapped. Hinoko was the only exception. She was Doctor J's granddaughter and didn't need to be kidnapped. The girls, upon seeing the gundams, decided they would help with the mission, for the scientists promised that each girl would get one. Hinoko's eyes fell on the one in the center. It was mainly white and looked a lot like Wing. Light shone in the dark room and that was the first gundam it fell on. Hinoko jumped up onto the gundam, and opened the cockpit. Then she plopped down in the chair and slowly went over the things this gundam included. There were two beam sabers, a shield of gundamium alloy, twin buster rifles and claws on the feet. She scanned over the computers and noted with satisfaction that there was plenty of space to store information. She also noticed the gundam has the ability to turn into a plane and fly above its enemy. Talon can then swoop down on it like a hawk. The claws on its feet would extend and rip the head off an enemy Mobile Suit. Hinoko smiled at the thought. This was the best gundam she could have.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
It was a glorious day, the best one in her life so far. She was finally able to have a mission. She was to go to earth and find Heero Yuy and bring him back. She sensed a new war was about to take place. 


	3. Serena's Story

Chapter 2: Serena's Story  
  
Chapter by: Shanchan Story by: Shanchan and Rinoastar  
  
"Serena! Get over here at once!" Doctor G yelled at his student.  
  
She had waist length black hair and brown eyes. She loved life and lived it to the fullest, but underneath the bubbly personality, was a girl who was abused and scared. She missed her parents who died ten years ago. The worst part was she could remember the day they died as if it was only yesterday.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
On a dark and rainy night, a car was driving along the mountain roads of Colorado. In the car was a family of three. The mother and father sat in the front while their daughter was in the back. The little girl looked around six and she had a pillow, a blanket and her stuffed animals with her. The family was returning from a road trip to Arizona. They needed to get home soon so they could have a good night's sleep and get to work on time. The father was driving, and the car was moving pretty fast, faster than anyone would want it to be on a rainy day in the mountains . "Mommy, when will we be home?" the little girl with black hair and dark brown eyes asked.  
  
"Soon. Very soon dear," her mother replied. She had waist length black hair and dark brown eyes. She was beautiful and her eyes, even though they were brown, twinkled with wisdom. She was a very graceful dancer. She danced ballet with ease. Ballroom dancing and tap were a snap to her. Her daughter looked a lot like her and the girl hoped to be as graceful as her mother was.  
  
"Yes, very soon. In an hour or so, you will be in your nice warm bed with your stuffed animals," the girl's father answered. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He was very handsome. He was a very successful businessman. He was also young. He and his wife were in their late twenties.  
  
Suddenly, there was a sharp turn, and when the father finally saw it, it was already too late. The car swirled around a few times and fell off the cliff. The girl screamed as loud as she could. There was two seconds of panic. The car hit the ground headfirst and her parents were killed on the spot. Blood splattered everywhere. She was really scared. She tucked her pillow behind her and wrapped her blanket around herself. She then tucked her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. In her arms were her stuffed animals. She was cold and scared, so she started to cry. She fell asleep with fear and sorrow in her heart.  
  
The next morning she was awakened by a thud that made her body shake. The car was not standing on its head anymore. Some one moved it. She looked out the windows and realized it was the police. There was a pretty lady in the group. The lady had soft brown eyes that made her think of her mother and long blond hair. The lady walked over to the car, opened the door and helped the girl climb out. In a soft voice, she asked, "What's your name?"  
  
"Serena," the girl answered in a shy voice.  
  
"Do you have a last name to go along with that?"  
  
"Silverman."  
  
"What happened and are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. Are Papa and Mama ok? They are very quiet!"  
  
The woman looked at the girl with sympathy and answered, "I'm sorry, but they are gone now."  
  
"Gone? No, you're lying! I'm not that stupid! I see them! They're right there!" The girl pointed to her parents.  
  
"No! They're dead!" The woman blurted out.  
  
"Dead? Like Grandma and Grandpa?"  
  
"Oh! You poor child! Are your grandparents dead too?"  
  
The girl nodded her head. "Two grandmas and two grandpas dead. They die before I was born."  
  
The woman's eyes filled with pity, "You poor dear! Now your parents are gone too! Do you have any other relatives?"  
  
"Relatives? What's that?" It was obvious she didn't have any.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"Will Papa and Mama be ok?" She asked again.  
  
The woman stared at the girl's pale face and tears filled her eyes. Never has she seen someone so pure, nor anything as sad. The children she worked with in the past were always from the street where they lived a life of crime. This child was different. She could sense it. This child loved life and the world she lived in. She blinked her eyes a few times, and tried to hide her tears, but those tears would not obey. They rolled down her cheeks and the girl saw them.  
  
"What wrong? Why are you crying?" The girl asked. "Are you sad? Can I help make you happy?"  
  
The woman looked into the girl's eyes. She smiled gently and took the girl's hands in hers. Then she wrapped the blanket around the girl and led her out of the car.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
"Serena! Can you hear me? Come here at once!" Doctor G bellowed!  
  
"Yes sir!" Serena answered. She ran over to where her trainer was at once.  
  
"It is time for you to go on your mission. You will need to go to earth on a shuttle. You need to find Duo Maxwell, pilot 02 and bring him back. If you complete your mission, I will give you an reward."  
  
"Cool! So, what's the reward? And what if he doesn't want to come, should I kill him?"  
  
"No, don't kill him. Knock him unconscious and tie him up, but don't hurt him too much or kill him. As for your reward, you will know when you come back!"  
  
"Better not be something stupid!"  
  
"Don't worry! I can guarantee you that you'll love it!"  
  
Soon Serena was on her way to earth. Since there wasn't much to do, she settled on looking out the window. Space was so dark and beautiful. Just like how she remembered it. It was so silent. Some one once told her if you scream in space, no one will be able to hear you. It made her love space. Not only for it's beauty, but for the fact that there will be privacy. She would actually get a chance to let out her sorrow. She started to toy with her hair. It was usually in a braid now. The braid suited her well. It was much easier to handle when it was braided. And it almost looked better. Of course there will be a day when she let it down again to show how beautiful it could look, but for now, she wanted to leave it as it is. She used to wear dresses. She still would wear those things, but only when she wanted to dance. When the weather was warm, she would wear shorts and a light colored T-shirt. On cold days, she usually pulled out a pair of black jeans and wore a dark red or black shirt to go with it. Serena liked dark colors because it made other not see you very well at night and was great for running all over the place at school. This day she wore her black jeans and black shirts. She looked at the picture of Duo.  
  
*Duo, ne? He's CUTE! Well, since he called himself the God of Death, maybe I should call myself the Angel of Destruction!* Serena laughed at the thought. She liked it.  
  
She then absent-mindedly reached into her bag and pulled out a book. The book had a black silk cover with tiger prints and the Chinese character for tiger was embroidered in silver. It was her mother's legacy. The book was a diary. Her mother had a set of these. There were 12 diaries in all. All of them were empty. It was to be Serena's birthday present, but she died before she was able to give them to her daughter. There is two of each color: red, gold, green, blue, black, and white. The paper in the book's colors matched the books. Each had an animal print that was from the Chinese Zodiac. Serena loved the zodiac. She was a tiger, like her mother. And her father was a dragon.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
Serena lived in a boarding school after the crash. She had inherited a million dollars and a box labeled for Serena from her parents. The money gave her the chance to live on the L2 colony and get a good education. When she opened the box, her eyes lit up. There were 12 books that were two inches thick. Each had a beautiful silk cover. She opened the first one. It was white and had the character for mouse in black. In it was a note.  
  
Dear Serena, Have a Happy Birthday. We love you. Your loving parents.  
  
Serena started to cry. She was six, but because her mother wanted her to have a head start, she already knew how to read and write. Even more amazing, she was able to do it in both Chinese and English. She looked at the 12 books and knew they were all that was left of her parents. She took each book and looked at it carefully. The back cover, Serena noticed was extremely thick. She opened the back, and there she found in a large pocket of every book a small golden charm and six pens. The charm had a picture of the animal the diary represented on the front, and on the back, there was a single character that represented some kind of good fortune. The pens were metallic shades of red, blue, and green. There was also silver, gold and bronze. Serena took the box of diaries into the room she shared with some other girls and stuck it under the bed. When she had something extremely good or bad happens to her, she would use a few pages to write it down. She was very careful about keeping the diaries in good shape for that's all she had to remember her parents.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Serena looked at the diary and smiled a sad smile. She noticed her tears were dropping. She knew exactly why. She was a great student at her school, before she was kidnapped by Doctor G. She missed school, even if most people there were mean to her, it was her home. It was the place she lived in for the past eleven years. Sometimes she would get into fights with the boys, but those were another memory she loved. It felt good to be the best fighter.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
At school she was the best student, the best dancer and the best artist. She was good at what ever she did. She also loved playing contact sports. Her school had a very stupid rule though: Girls were not allowed to play sports. She didn't care to obey. Always, after ballet, she'd go to the court and bet to be able to play basketball with the boys. She was the best at that too and if she didn't go, the boys would never learn how to play the game right. The boys hated her for it and she learns to hate boys. In her mind boys were stupid, mean and useless. They didn't understand anything she did. They didn't understand how she felt about her parent's death. She wanted to dance like her mother, and be a brilliant as her father. Those were a few things she could actually remember from so long ago. Sometimes she'd get into fights because the boys were so rude. She had a bit of martial arts training when she was young so it wasn't so bad. One of her best fights was with some 14-year-old bullies. It happened when she was 10. She didn't want the bullies to pick on a boy named Ryan, who was actually a little friendly at times, so she told them to try picking on her.  
  
"So, you want to fight, don't you girly?" one of the punks said.  
  
"Yeah! So what if I do?" Serena yelled back. She took off her backpack, turned to Ryan and asked, "Could you hold this for me while I take on these idiots?"  
  
"Sure!" The boy answered. Serena handed him her backpack and faced the bullies.  
  
"Hey, look at the little girl! She wants to fight! Well, we'll teach her, won't we?" The leader asked his gang.  
  
Serena laughed. These people were so stupid and uncreative. She could almost memorize what they're about to say!  
  
"What's so funny?" one of them asked.  
  
"Nothing! I just thought how you guys don't have shit for brains because your insults are the oldest ones in the book! And plus, you couldn't hurt me if you tried!" That got the desired effect of angering her opponents. They ran up to her and tried to punch her. Serena stepped to the side and stuck her fist out. The guy's nose slammed into her fist and he got a bloody nose. Then, Serena elbowed him in the gut and pushed him off balance. The next guy charged at her. She also stepped to the side. This time she stuck her foot out and tripped the guy. As he was falling, Serena stood up straight and suddenly kneed her attacker at the most undesirable place for a boy. He rolled on the floor in pain. The last one to fight was the leader. He walked up to Serena and decided to punch her. She ducked his punch, squatted down and spun her leg in a circle. This knocked the guy off balance. Serena then moved behind him and kicked him in the back. She then launched a series of kicks and punches on the leader until he was down. Then she told the three to move out of her way before she got mad. The boys decided to listen to what she had to say and left. Then Serena turned to Ryan and asked, "So, how did I do?"  
  
"Great as always!" Then Ryan muttered under his breath, "Show off!"  
  
Serena gave him her Silverman Glare of Death and he wisely decided to shut up.  
  
"Hmph! See if I save you next time!" Then Serena walked off to her next class.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Her mother was a dancer with both grace and beauty. Serena longed for a day where she could be like that. She was close though. The school knew her as the best fighter, dancer, basketball player, artist and student. She was almost a genius. The coursed she took were very advanced for some one her age. She was 16, but was learning material most seniors were learning. Every one at the school envied her. Serena looked out the window and laughed, remembering how she would lead almost half the school to the basketball court almost everyday. One day a boy pushed her down. That was the day she was kidnapped by Doctor G. The day felt so long ago!  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
Serena woke up to the sound of girls screaming. They were Elizabeth, Dominique, and Shimei. And they were upset that the scientists captured them. Of course Serena felt the same way.  
  
"Let us go you perverts! You're all old enough to be our grandparents!" Serena yelled as she gave them her Glare of Death.  
  
Then the scientists showed them the gundams. They were so magnificent! Each gundam was so elegant and wonderful, but Serena liked the second one the most. It was made by Doctor G. It was called Spritefire. There were two flame-throwers on the shoulders that could be extended in a moment's notice to blow fire at the enemies. The gundam was totally black except for the green eyes that glowed in the dark. It had an evil look in its eyes. The scientists untied Serena and the other girls and Serena ran to the Spritefire. She jumped into the cockpit and discovered a chair. She sat in it and looked around. There were three computer screens. All of them were turned on; letting Serena read all the information she wanted. She read everything on the screens and discovered that the gundam had wings. She clicked a button and jumped out the cockpit. Looking at her gundam again, she saw black wings extending from the back. They looked like angel wings, only they were as dark as a moonless night. The blackness sucked a lot of the light from the room and Serena shuddered. She looked at her gundam in awe. It also had a shield that could withstand a buster rifle's blast, a camouflage screen that makes the gundam disappear in a battle, a machine cannon, and a lot of hidden artillery in the chest, arms, and legs. The main weapons, though, were the twin gundam size beam katanas that were hidden on the sides of its body. Serena looked at the dark beauty and smiled. She would really enjoy destroying the enemy with THIS!  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
The scar from that day was still there, but it's getting really light. She now began to like Doctor G, and she couldn't wait to find Duo and get back to get her reward. And plus, Duo was really cute, but what's with the braid? 


	4. Dominique's Past

Untitled  
  
_________  
  
Chapter 3: Dominique's Past  
  
_________  
  
chapter by rinoastar  
  
story by shanchan and rinoastar  
  
_________  
  
Dominique Killian brushed a wisp of her wavy, short, blonde hair away  
  
from her face and concentrated on polishing the Gundam the scientists had  
  
graciously given her . *Given a mech to continue fighting in what I  
  
believe in* she smirked and lovingly ran a hand down the slick metal .   
  
*I  
  
wonder what the others would say* The Gundam was a beautiful machine .  
  
It seemed to glow, with the buffing that Dominique administered . " Aa, "  
  
she rubbed the cloth firmly but gently over the machine . " Megami, what  
  
would you say ? Do you think they'd be happy for me ? " a bitter smile  
  
wormed its way to her face at the name . " Are you Megami ? Or am I ?  
  
"  
  
she smiled genuinely, closing her eyes . " I got that name after my first  
  
mission . It was so dangerous, too dangerous for an eight year old . I  
  
don't care . It's exhilerating, you know . To hold a gun in your  
  
hands,  
  
and to know that as long as you have it, you're in control . "  
  
**Flashback**  
  
A cute little girl looked up into a man's face with weepy eyes .  
  
" Mister, you were my Daddy's best friend ! You have to take me in !  
  
I'm not going to any orphanage ! "  
  
The man finally nodded sharply . " I'll do it . You'll stay out  
  
of the way, though, and you'd better be able to move fast . There'll be  
  
times when we have to get out, fast . You'd better not be too slow, or  
  
we'll leave you behind . "  
  
Little Dominique waivered slightly, and felt a gentle hand on her  
  
shoulder . " Honestly, Luc, she just lost her only family ! You know  
  
what it was like to lose someone dear to you ! " a woman comfortingly  
  
hugged the tiny girl close .  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Dominique sighed, remembering Marie, and the comfort found in her  
  
warm brown eyes . " Megami, d'ya want to hear about me ? It's a long  
  
story, so you'll have to be patient, " she told her mech .  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Marie and Luc became like a second family to Dominique . They had  
  
a son, Jeanne, and Luc was always berating him . Dominique suspected it  
  
was because Luc held high hopes for Jeanne . They settled into a cozy  
  
household . It was quite a shock to the tiny family when a new mission  
  
arrived .  
  
" Luc, Luc, where are you going ? " Dominique followed her foster  
  
parents out the door . Marie looked back sympathetically before Luc  
  
grabbed her arm and dragged her away . " Jeanne, I'm going to follow, "  
  
she whispered conspiratorially to her partner-in-crime, as Marie often  
  
referred to them . Jeanne's eyes lit up and he gently led her to a bush  
  
outside .  
  
" I've been watching Mama and Papa, " he whispered, keeping to the  
  
shadows and trailing his parents . Dominique mouthed 'oh,' before  
  
following .  
  
The children raced along the dying shadows of the evening in the  
  
'jungle, ' as this part of the L3 colony was called . They seemed as if  
  
they were shadows, themselves, and they were unnoticed by the group ahead .  
  
Finally the adults stopped . Dominique's eyes widened as Marie stepped  
  
ahead of the group .  
  
" Come out, come out, " the tiny woman called to the tree ahead of  
  
her, her gun in her hand . She no longer seemed like the same Marie that  
  
had eased her melancholy after her father's death .  
  
Dominique's thoughts were quickly forgotten when a group of men  
  
jumped out of the tree . A big man carrying a machete led the pack .  
  
" So . . . " he paced in front of the terrorists . " You fell for it, "  
  
he smirked . " Get'em, boys ! "  
  
The men jumped on the tiny group, ambushing them . Dominique's  
  
eyes widened and she stared at Marie's gun as it skittered to a halt in  
  
front  
  
of her . Grasping the handle firmly, she raised it just as she'd seen  
  
Marie before . Jeanne watched with fear in his eyes as tiny Dominique  
  
stood and aimed the gun . Three explosions rang out in the clearing .  
  
The leader of the men looked her in the eyes before he fell, shot  
  
through with Marie's pistol . Jeanne raced up to the body of his father  
  
and grabbed his uzi and bullet chain . Slipping it over his head, he  
  
pointed it at the rest of the group . " G-get away, " he yelled .  
  
" Get the hell away, before I kill you ! "  
  
The men saw their boss dead, assuming the boy had done it, ran into  
  
the woods . Jeanne's hands shook and he dropped the gun . Together,  
  
the  
  
two children ran to check the people that littered the ground . There  
  
were  
  
many dead, and many near death . Any that weren't dead or dying helped to  
  
carry the injured and deceased back to camp .  
  
Solemnly, they cremated the dead and waited for the rest to die .  
  
Jeanne and Dominique collapsed together in Luc and Marie's tent . The  
  
rest  
  
of the team nicknamed Dominique 'Megami,' a Japanese name that meant  
  
'goddess . '  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
" They were like my family, Megami, " Dominique banged her fist on  
  
the metal she had been polishing . Her eyes stung with tears, " . . . and  
  
they killed them ! All I had left was Jeanne, and I dunno if he's even  
  
okay ! " She hugged the mech and sobbed into it . " Well, " she wiped  
  
her eyes on the back of her hand, " at least with you, I can make sure noone  
  
has to fight anymore . I'll know that everyone's okay, and that I  
  
helped . "  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Jeanne and Dominique had been raised by the remaining members of the  
  
group . Luc and Marie were both assasinated by the attackers . Jeanne  
  
took it upon himself to raise Dominique . They were close, like real  
  
siblings, and were soon recognized as stealthy, dangerous guerilla fighters  
  
..  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Dominique smiled into Megami's metal shell and whispered, " I'll bet  
  
that's why they chose me . Oh, well, I think they made a good choice .  
  
Do you ? "  
  
She giggled slightly and pulled out a photograph . It was of five  
  
handsome young men . Dominique blushed and sighed . Her first mission  
  
..  
  
She was going to X place in one week, and she was to capture one of those  
  
boys . A certain one, in fact . " Hey, Meg, how d'ya think he got his  
  
hair to *do* that ? It defies the laws of gravity ! Maybe they wanna  
  
know what he uses to fix his hair and glue Gundams together with it ! "  
  
" Well, Trowa Barton, " she told the photo, " I'll get you, and  
  
your hair gel, too . " 


	5. Elizabeth Star

Chapter 4  
  
_________  
  
chapter by rinoastar  
  
story by shanchan and rinoastar  
  
_________  
  
Elizabeth Starr leaned back in her chair . The scientists had been  
  
kind enough to provide new art supplies for her to use, and retrieve her  
  
violin . She didn't use her violin very much, just enough to practice,  
  
actually . Instead, she spent her time drawing . She had, by the first  
  
week's end, reproduced her previous puzzling pictures . She still had no  
  
idea who the boys were, but the other girls seemed to have some clue .  
  
She had always been an artist, since early childhood . She had  
  
used her pencils to draw out her dreamworld, creating exquisite portraits of  
  
whimsical creatures and beautiful people . People had payed top dollar  
  
for  
  
her amazing drawings, but Elizabeth was not happy .  
  
**Flashback**  
  
An old grey building stood on the edge of the L1 colony . Inside  
  
the building was an orphanage . The orphanage was run by what used to be  
  
a  
  
preschool, before the war . Most of the children in the orphanage had  
  
been  
  
students at the school and were orphaned by the war .  
  
The Starr family had worked diligently at the orphanage since A.C.  
  
180, the year they had had a beautiful, bouncing baby girl . Sharon Starr  
  
had helped become a mother to the other children, but there were so many  
  
children that her daughter, Elizabeth, often felt last . James Starr had  
  
been the leader of the orphanage, and Elizabeth regarded him as more of a  
  
headmaster than a father, and therefor, was raised without much family life  
  
..  
  
It came as no real suprise, then, when Elizabeth turned to art to  
  
express herself . She would lock herself in her room for days, drawing  
  
many things, but, quite eerily, often drew things that would happen shortly,  
  
or people that would visit soon . The other children would tease her,  
  
calling her names and making fun of her art .  
  
When she was twelve, Elizabeth and her mother were sent on a trip to  
  
the colony L4 . Elizabeth had never been off of her colony before, and  
  
was  
  
in awe of the beautiful expanse they floated in . She had watched the  
  
shooting stars and wished she could stay in the sky forever . Her mother  
  
had spent the entire trip reading .  
  
Their arrival at the L4 colony was just as exhilerating as the ride .  
  
Elizabeth had looked with wide, innocent eyes at the splendorous colony .  
  
It was obvious that whoever lived here had money . She remembered hearing  
  
something about the colony being 'owned, ' as someone had put it, by the  
  
Winner corporation . The manager of said corporation was busy raising his  
  
son, who was raised like an Arabian prince .  
  
Mrs. Starr and Elizabeth were staying at a nice hotel, the Desert  
  
Royale . Sharon took Elizabeth to the room and locked her in with nothing  
  
but her artbook and pencils . Normally, Elizabeth would have been  
  
delighted to be alone to work, but she found this colony amazing . As  
  
soon  
  
as Sharon left, Elizabeth grabbed her purse, with all of her allowance for  
  
the past three years, several hundred dollars, and went to the window .  
  
The hotel room was many stories off of the ground, and Elizabeth was  
  
afraid of falling . She opened the window and sat on the ledge outside .  
  
She noticed the fire escape ladder nearby and considered climbing down .  
  
Then she ran into the room and grabbed her backpack . She put her  
  
artbook,  
  
pencils, and purse in it and went back out to the ledge . Elizabeth put  
  
her backpack on and grabbed the ladder . Slowly, she began to climb down  
  
..  
  
She was very tired when she reached the bottom . Gathering her  
  
wits about her, she hefted her backpack and set out to find something  
  
interesting to draw . As she walked through the city, she paused to  
  
sketch  
  
the people she saw . Eventually, people noticed that she was drawing them  
  
and wanted to see the pictures . Proudly, Elizabeth displayed her  
  
pictures, and the people that wanted them, she sold them to .  
  
A few hours later, Elizabeth was about a hundred and fifty dollars  
  
richer . She looked up at the artificial lightsource, realizing just how  
  
long she had been gone . The girl batted away her customers and headed to  
  
the hotel . She entered the hotel and walked up to the clerk .  
  
" Starr . Which room are the Starrs in ? " Elizabeth asked .  
  
The man looked down at her .  
  
" I'm sorry, miss . They left about an hour ago . They left  
  
this for a girl to come pick up . Are you Elizabeth ? " he cocked his  
  
head . Elizabeth nodded . " Follow me, " he went into a room .  
  
Elizabeth followed him in, and he handed her her luggage and a sealed note .  
  
With shaking hands, Elizabeth opened the letter .  
  
' Elizabeth, ' it read .  
  
' If you want to run away, feel free . I've left your clothes with  
  
the clerk at the front desk . Enclosed is some money, and a shuttle  
  
ticket  
  
to any colony you want . Don't bother coming back to L1 .  
  
Sharon '  
  
Elizabeth reread the letter to make sure she hadn't missed anything .  
  
She piched herself to make sure it wasn't a nightmare . Realization hit  
  
her hard . *I'm alone, on a strange colony, with nowhere to go* Her  
  
eyes swam with unshed tears and the world went black .  
  
She was awakened by the clerk, who was waving smelling salts under  
  
her nose . He frowned down at her . " Miss, are you okay ? You just  
  
passed out, " he asked . She sat up and gathered her bags .  
  
" Fine, thanks, " she murmured . She grabbed her luggage and  
  
backpack and headed to the bathroom . Once in the bathroom, Elizabeth  
  
emptied her suitcase . She picked her favorite dress, which she had  
  
insisted on bringing, and was glad she had, and folded it neatly . She  
  
put  
  
it in her backpack and grabbed her skirt outfit . She put that in her bag  
  
as well . All that was left was her uniform for working at the orphanage  
  
..  
  
It was an annoying, ugly gray skirt and fitted jacket .  
  
Elizabeth pondered throwing it away before she took the long skirt  
  
and folded it . She put it in the bag, as well . Then she picked up  
  
the  
  
jacket . The patch on the lapels stood out hatefully . She took her  
  
pocketknife and ripped the threads beneath it out . Her knife slashed at  
  
the thick threads and tore the patch away . A spot of darker, unfaded  
  
cloth marked where it was . She continued to stab angrilly at the patch  
  
and accidentally cut her finger .  
  
She yipped slightly and put her knife away . Dejectedly, Elizabeth  
  
tossed the patch into the garbage can and folded the jacket, keeping her  
  
injured hand away from the cloth . She carefully put the jacket into her  
  
bag and put the bag in the suitcase . Now she had less to carry, and  
  
looked less like a runaway .  
  
She walked back to the counter and hit the bell . The man appeared  
  
again and she held up her finger . " Do you happen to have any  
  
bandages ? " she asked . He frowned and handed her a bandage . She  
  
carefully applied it and thanked him .  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
From then on, Elizabeth was by herself . The first few months were  
  
the hardest, since she was used to other people helping her, but eventually  
  
she settled into a liveable lifestyle . In ways, she had more on her own  
  
than she had had with her parents . Just as she grew comfortable, the  
  
unthinkable happened . Her parents came back to get her .  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Elizabeth knelt next to her small radio and began to dust .  
  
Cleaning house had never been one of her favorite chores, but it had to be  
  
done . She bent over the antenna and ran her featherduster over the  
  
speakers . Her tiny black radio, at times, seemed to be her only link to  
  
the world away from her tiny space on the colony .  
  
If anyone asked her, she said that she'd grown up on the L4 colony .  
  
It was true, in a literal sense . She had been a sheltered, meek  
  
housemaid  
  
before she came to this colony, but had learned to take care of herself .  
  
Her home was a tiny apartment on what was considered the 'poor part' of  
  
town,  
  
where starving artists and starving thieves, and starving people in general  
  
lived . Elizabeth couldn't remember seeing anyone with more than a  
  
thousand dollars to his name ever visiting this side of the colony .  
  
Her humble life, which kept her fed and sheltered, was suprisingly  
  
happy . She worked daily in the city, as a waitress . When she got off  
  
work, she drew portraits for passers-by . Elizabeth missed the younger  
  
children of the orphanage, that looked up to her like a mother, but loved  
  
the  
  
older people of this city that protected her like a sister .  
  
She didn't go to school, since she had no time, but instead, home  
  
tutored herself . Every waking hour that wasn't at work or spent drawing  
  
was occupied by the old-fashioned tales of the twentieth century . She  
  
also practiced the violin with an old, battered one she had bought in a pawn  
  
shop . She played well, but not as well as her friends that played on the  
  
streetcorner for a living, and she didn't want to take food from their  
  
mouths . In return for her discretion, they helped her learn how to play,  
  
and Elizabeth delighted in the weekly lessons she recieved .  
  
Sighing, she turned to the door, which someone seemed to be pounding  
  
on very hard . She brushed a wisp of her long brown hair which had  
  
escaped  
  
from the kerchief on her head from her face . Elizabeth walked to the  
  
door  
  
and opened it .  
  
Angrilly, she thrust the door open . " What do you want ? " she  
  
demanded . She had been working on her grammar, since good language  
  
skills  
  
were prioritized on this colony . " I am very busy, would you please come  
  
back later ? " she asked . Then she looked at the people standing  
  
there . It was her parents !  
  
" Lizzie, come home with us . Your mother has been worried sick  
  
about you ! " her father said . Elizabeth stood with her hands on her  
  
hips and shook her head . His eyes flashed in anger and he glowered at  
  
her, " Girl, you'd better come home, or I'll . . . " he raised his hand  
  
to  
  
slap her .  
  
" Hey, 'Liz'beth ! " a close friend and neighbor interrupted .  
  
" What's going on ? " he asked . Elizabeth cringed back from the  
  
glancing blow she was sure was going to land across her face . The  
  
neighbor noticed, and caught his arm . " Hey, you ! What's going on ?  
  
"  
  
" I'm her father, I can do whatever the hell I want ! " her father  
  
yelled .  
  
" No, you can't ! I'll call security if you lay one hand on  
  
her ! " the neighbor replied . Then he turned to Elizabeth . " Hey,  
  
do you want to go with them ? " Elizabeth shook her head ' no. '  
  
" They left me here, with nothing to live on, nowhere to live, and  
  
noone around ! " she growled . " On purpose ! " she declared  
  
defiantly . The neighbor shook his head in disgust .  
  
" Leave her alone, then ! And if you ever come back, I'll call  
  
security on you ! " he snapped . Reluctantly, her parents left .   
  
Her  
  
neighbor looked concerned . " Are you okay ? "  
  
Elizabeth nodded numbly and said goodbye, closing the door . She  
  
sank into her chair and cried herself to sleep . When she awakened, she  
  
found herself faced with independent life .  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Elizabeth looked at her artpad and realized that she'd drawn the  
  
patch from her uniform . She sighed and tore the sheet of paper out .  
  
There was a moment of hesitation as she decided whether or not to tear it  
  
up . She took out her old pocketknife and shredded the paper .  
  
" Elizabeth ! What are you doing ? " Instructor H. was standing  
  
in her doorway .  
  
" Just getting rid of some old ghosts from my past, " she smiled  
  
up at him . He frowned slightly and shrugged .  
  
" We're having tests on your piloting abilities and reflex times, and  
  
I've still got to brief you in your mission, " he said . She nodded  
  
and  
  
showed him her artbook, guesturing to the pictures on the wall . They  
  
were  
  
identical to the ones in her apartment that she had left behind .  
  
H. glanced at the artbook and set it down, instead marveling at the  
  
pictures on the walls . " Amazing, " he whispered . She blushed at  
  
the praise . " They look just like them, " he said abruptly .  
  
" Who ? " she cocked her head to the side in a guesture of  
  
confusion . " I don't know who they are . Sometimes, I draw some weird  
  
stuff . I draw people that are going to visit, before I ever meet them,  
  
or  
  
things that I will see, even though they aren't there yet . . . my friends  
  
say I'm psychic, " she blushed and shook her head . " I don't know . "  
  
" I believe it, " he said, turning around . " These are the  
  
boys that your quadrant is supposed to catch for your first mission .  
  
They've been avoiding us recently, and we must know why . That one, "  
  
he pointed to the boy with light tourmaline eyes, her favorite, " is the one  
  
that you are supposed to retrieve . My prodigy . His name is Quatre .  
  
"  
  
The name passed around in her mind, before settling into the place  
  
she stored handy but useless information . " In fact, " H. continued,  
  
taking a pen from his pocket, " this is Wufei, " he marked the portrait  
  
with the chinese boy's name, " this is Heero, this is Duo, and this is  
  
Trowa, " he marked the pictures with their names . " Now, come on .  
  
We have to go get you tested, " he smiled, pocketing his pen . 


	6. Shimei, Tenth Sister

Chapter 5: Shimei, Tenth Sister  
  
Chapter by: Shanchan Story by: Shanchan and Rinoastar  
  
A girl dressed in Chinese style clothing sat alone in a shuttle heading for Earth. Her clothes of pink silk were lined with lavender. The girl had a plain aqua green sash tied around her waist. Beside the girl was a sword in a titanium sheath with a phoenix engraved. The girl is Shimei. She sighed and took out her box of acupuncture needles. These were one of the many things her parents left behind. Her parents were Chinese. Her mother a martial artist of the highest caliber and her father, a great doctor. No one knew her parent's talents because after they married, they went to Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) and lived there until Shimei was ten. Shimei's mother wrote many books on martial arts and chi and her father studied the ancient art of Chinese medicine. He also wrote many books. Shimei started her education at the age of three. She learned all the names of the pressure points at the same time as she learned to write. She started to practice martial arts in the mornings and did her medicine, Chinese, and English studies in the afternoon. Then, after dinner, she would do some more martial arts. She was gifted in both arts and her parents worked hard to help her succeed.  
  
When she was ten, her parents decided it was time for her to meet her grandparents, but when they went to the foot of the mountain, they found out the world was not as they remembered it. Living in the mountain for thirty years really made a great difference. The reason Shimei is called tenth sister is that her mother had nine miscarriages before giving birth to her. She was the tenth child. Her mother was always weak after the miscarriages, and didn't try to have another child for two years. Her mother was strong and determined though, and finally after twenty years, gave birth to Shimei. Shimei's parents were overjoyed at her birth, and they decided to give her a good education. That is why by the time they went down Huang Shan, Shimei already mastered most aspects of both arts. She didn't need her parent's help in learning the rest. That turned out to be very fortunate in her tragic life.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
At the foot of the mountain, a small battle was taking place. Shemei was already a pretty good fighter, but she had no experience. She didn't know when there was danger, and being as curious as a kitten, ran ahead into the battlefield. The soldiers were not in mobile suits, but they were shooting each other. Shimei's mother was really scared. She could not let her only daughter die in this storm of bullets. She ran after Shimei and when a bullet was about to hit the girl, pushed her daughter out of the way. She saved Shimei at the cost of her life. Shimei ran to where her mother fell and started to weep. Tears streamed down her cheek and dropped on her mother's cheeks. The woman did not stir. Shimei grabbed her mother's hands; they felt cold. Shimei was scared, but continued to beg her mother to stand up. The soldiers were oblivious to what they had done and continued to fight. When one side was obliterated, the fighting finally stopped, Shimei's father walked over to them and asked of a favor.  
  
"Why should we do anything for you?" The soldiers asked.  
  
"Not for me, for her," Shimei's father pointed to his daughter. The girl was crying, screaming for her mother to stand up, begging her to talk to her daughter, but all that was futile. Her mother had gone to another world and would not be with her ever again.  
  
"What have we done?! Yes, I guess we really should do you a favor. What do you need? We'll give it to you," a soldier with brown hair and green eyes replied. His eyes were plain, but when you stared at them, you could see a warrior with a good heart that has seen more battles than anyone should. In his mind, this was too tragic. She's so young, and her world was already starting to crumble.  
  
"Thank you. I want you to send her to the L5 colony cluster where her grandparents are and give my wife and me a good burial service. That is all I want. Is that too much? If it is, then don't worry about my wife and me. Just send our daughter to the colony. She belongs there with our family. It's been too long. Far too long. I don't want Shimei not to know what her legacy is. She is a bright child, if only I could be with her." his voice trailed off. It was filled with sorrow.  
  
"Yes, I will make sure it is done. I promise," the soldier bowed respectfully.  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
Shimei's father walked over to where his daughter was. He hugged her gently and told her to stand up. She obeyed. Then he picked up his wife and lead Shimei to where the soldier was.  
  
"This is my daughter and I hope you will take good care of things. Our luggage is over there. The one in the center contains all the books my wife and I wrote. It also has my medicine things and my wife's sword. It is what we are giving to our daughter. Her clothes are in the one on the right. Please take care of her," then he turned to Shimei, and gave her a hug.  
  
"Whatever you do, daughter, follow you're heart. It will guide you through everything. Remember who you are and what you have learned. You are old enough to study on your own in both medicine and Martial Arts. I know you will make me proud. I am sure of it. The soldier will take you to the L5 colony and help you find your grandparents. Please be a good girl."  
  
"I will father, I promise! I will become the best at your arts! I will make sure mother didn't die in vain! I shall show the world what great parents you are."  
  
"Good! I am glad. Now I can rest in peace." He took out a dagger, and stuck it into his heart. Shimei screamed at the sudden gush of blood. Then she realized what happened and started to cry The soldier just stood there, tears in his emerald eyes. They dripped down his face and onto his camouflage clothes. There is no way anyone deserves to feel how Shimei feels right now. He vowed to help Shimei find her only relatives, her grandparents.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Shimei gently touched the two strands of hair that hanged down past her shoulders from the odango on the sides of her head. These two strands were tied using blue ribbons on the bottom. The odango were done using bobby pins and tied by ribbons that were as long as the strands of hair. The rest of her hair was tied in a low ponytail, not unlike Wufei's. The ponytail was long, stretching down her back, and ending at her hip. She used a blue ribbon to tie that also. Sometimes she would choose to let her hair down, but usually it was kept in a pony tail. The sword her mother had left her with the phoenix carved on its sheath laid beside her. This sword was her weapon of choice. It was quite heavy, but after using it for six years she has grown accustomed to it. The sword was made of titanium alloy and was extremely strong. It was made 500 years ago and has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. She knew it was her duty to find a good husband when the time comes and give birth to a daughter to pass the sword to, but she is still young and now is not the time to fret over such things. She slowly pulled the sword form its sheath and looked at it. It was a great sword, sharp and shinny. Her reflection was clearly seen. Shimei stared at the sword, and noticed for the first time in many years, it seemed to have two colors. One color was the silver she's always seen; the other looked like a trail of dried blood. Shimei took out a cloth and tried to wipe the stain off, but it seemed to be part of the sword. She sighed and stuck the sword back into its sheath. Then she remembered something her mother told her.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
It was on a sunny afternoon in the spring and she was watching her mother practice martial arts. The female warrior's body moved smoothly through the trees. Wherever the tip of the sword passed, pine needles fell. She stared at her mother's graceful figure. The martial artist seemed to her daughter like a butterfly fluttering among the trees. In an instant, the pine trees' lower branches were bare, and her mother stood by her side, holding the sword and smiling warmly. She greatly admired her mother's grace and intelligence. Huang Shan was a mountain that is around 1800 feet above sea level. Shimei's family lived on the "back" side of the mountain where it was less steep. But even then, to practice martial arts here was extremely dangerous because once someone falls, there is nothing that can save them.  
  
"Do you want to learn that?" Shimei's mother asked.  
  
Shimei nodded her head. She would love to be able to do that. Of course, that was a very hard form of martial arts, but she was sure in time she would be able to master THAT kata.  
  
"I'll write it down so you can learn it when you are older."  
  
"Ok!" Shimei said cheerfully. She looked at the sword in her mother's hands and saw a stain.  
  
"Mama, why is there blood on your sword?"  
  
Her mother looked down. She put her sword in her hands and studied it. Then she smiled and said, "That is a very old blood stain. Your ancestors were martial artists and they were the ones that put it there. You see, they fought so many battles and killed so many enemies that the enemies' blood will always be there. It is a sign that the sword was well used and old."  
  
"Oh!" little Shimei stared at it in awe. She couldn't wait when this magnificent sword was hers.  
  
*****(End flashback)******  
  
*How could I have forgotten that? I used to remember that so well! Am I forgetting them? No! I can't be forgetting them! I can't! * Shimei started to cry. Her tears rolled down her pale face and dropped on the sheath. She wiped the tears away and tried to think of other things. Her thoughts trailed back to when the soldier took her to the L5 colony.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
The green-eyed soldier held her hands as she cried. She missed her parents. It's been a week, and the pain is almost unbearable. The soldier told her it would get better. She didn't know why, but she trusted him. They went on a shuttle and headed for the L5 colony. When they got there, they saw many Chinese people surrounding a coffin crying. Shimei went over to see whom they were crying over and realized there were two coffins. The two looked like an old couple. Shimei asked who it was and upon hearing the answer fainted. These people were her grandparents on her mother's side.  
  
She fell ill from the grief and sorrow she felt. For the next few days, she was in a dream state. Time past and she didn't know. Sometimes she noticed there were people, lots of people, and they were talking. She couldn't tell what they were saying though. Their voices were blurred, but they sounded worried. Sometimes an old man would check her pulse, and as he was doing it, she would drift back into sleep. She didn't know how much time passed since she fell ill. She only knew the people there were extremely friendly and treated her kindly. She sometimes could sense the people feeding her herbal medicine. She knew the taste. It was just like the stuff her father used to give her. It was bitter and disgusting, but it really helped.  
  
During this time, she would have dreams of her parents. Usually it was of them dying. Many times she relived their death. She would scream out in her dream and her pillow would be covered with tears. The people looked at her sadly. She was a really beautiful girl. Her face was pale, like the full moon and her hair was silky black in color. She had ruby red lips that were just the right size and thickness. Having to suffer through the death of her parents and grandparents was very unfortunate and the people were pitiful of her. When the people went to wipe tears from her face, they always noticed she had a fever. That went on for a week. When Shimei finally became fully conscious, no one was around her bed. The room was dark and everyone was asleep. She looked around at her surroundings. It looked exactly like her room on Huangshan. She thought everything that happened must have been a bad dream. Then she remembered the smell of her father's blood, the way her tears fell, her ride to L5 and so much more.  
  
*No,* she knew inside, *It was not a dream. This was real my grandparents are dead, just like Mama and Papa. Papa was an orphan so I don't have any more grandparents. Mama and Papa didn't have brother or sisters so, there's no one for me to stay with.* Her thoughts trailed off. She didn't want to think about this anymore. The rest of the night she cried, and in the morning, someone came to check on her.  
  
She looked up and realized it was the soldier.  
  
"Shimei. I'm glad you are all right. I need to go now. I hope our paths can cross again."  
  
"Please, will you come back and visit me?"  
  
"I'll try, but I don't think I will be able to. I've already stayed too long. The others will not be happy," the soldier replied.  
  
"I will miss you!"  
  
"I'll miss you too," then he walked out the room and went away.  
  
In a few days, Shimei was back to her normal self. The soldier was right, the pain has gone. Life seems much better now.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Shimei's large, dark brown eyes started to glisten again. She bit her lip, *No! I won't cry!* She thought about her life from then on. It was not hard, she studied medicine, practiced martial arts and increased her chi by a lot. Most people took pity on her, but she changed that.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
The people gave her food and raised her. After a year, she couldn't stand it anymore. She wanted to be able to earn her living, so she asked if there was anyone was sick and wanted to be her patient. She wanted to be a doctor and carry on her father's legacy. When the council of the elders agreed, she posted a sign on her front door, telling every one that she was now officially a doctor. In the beginning, people came because they felt sorry for her. They wanted to help her, but after she checked her patient's pulse, and talked with them, the people realized she was actually a great doctor. She could tell some one exactly what symptoms and disease they have after two minutes of checking their pulse. The people were amazed. Her medicine also worked great. She was able to cure all the diseases she saw and everyone respected her greatly for her talent. One day some people came in with an unconscious man. Shimei didn't see any wounds on the man nor did she think he was sick. She checked his pulse and noted with surprise that his internal organs were all shifted out of position. Shimei told the others what she thought was wrong.  
  
"Is there anything you can do to help?" on of her patient's friends asked.  
  
"I might, but could you tell me what happened to him?"  
  
"He got into a fight with a man. I think the man was a martial artist," one person started.  
  
"You think?! Of course he was an expert!" another person said.  
  
"Ok, he was an expert and he was angry at our friend. He hit him really hard and this friend of ours was thrown back. He spit out blood and fell unconscious," the first person finished.  
  
Shimei was very impressed with this martial artist. The person must be able to control his chi extremely well to hurt her patient this badly without killing him. She thought about it for a while. She had trained everyday in the past and now was able to create a ton of chi and with her nine years of intense training, was able to control it pretty well. She knew a way to heal this man, but it took away more than 75% of her energy. She decided the 75% of her energy is nothing compared to a man's life and so she helped him.  
  
"Give me a few hours. Your friend will be fine," Shimei told the men.  
  
She placed her palms on his back and closed her eyes. She concentrated and forced her life energy into the man's body. After three hours, the man woke up. He was weak, but was feeling well. Shimei checked his pulse again and noted with satisfaction that he was all right. Then she gave him some medicine that would help him get his strength back. The man thanked her and left with his friends. From then on, every one on L5 colony knew she was a great doctor. Some even thought her powers were mystical. She kept on training until the day when Instructor O kidnapped her.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
Instructor O was the one that took her away from her boring life and brought her to the world of mobile suits.  
  
******(Flashback)******  
  
She woke up hearing some people talking. It turned out to be five ugly scientists. All of them had weird hair or face. Especially the one with the mushroom cloud hair. She looked at them and yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"  
  
A girl with blonde hair in a ponytail yelled, "What's going on here?"  
  
"Who are you?" A girl with brown hair asked. The scientist didn't get a chance to answer because another girl, with black hair and who looked a little like me, woke up.  
  
"Let us go, you perverts! You're all old enough to be our grandparents," then she gave the scientist a glare. It almost looked intimidating. It would have worked too, if she weren't tied up.  
  
Then the scientists showed the gundams to them. That made them quiet. They were let loose and Shimei immediately ran over to the fifth one.  
  
It had silver legs and arms, and its torso was blue. It had, on its back, a giant gundamium sword and a lot of circular discs. Shimei stared at the gundam in awe. She decided to go inside and have a look. The cockpit opened as she jumped up to the gundam. She climbed in and looked around. There were three screens and each had a lot on information on it. She found out from the screens that the sword was 1.5 times the length of a normal beam saber and the end of the sword can extend to turn it into a spear. The discs on its back are actually parts to a shield that could be activated when she pleased. There was hidden artillery everywhere. Her favorite ones were the missiles in the gundam's arms. She could aim and fire at will with these and the enemy would never suspect. Shimei smiled. She liked this gundam and hoped to be able to use it in battle. She climbed out of the cockpit and told the scientists she agreed to work with them.  
  
******(End flashback)******  
  
She is now trained to be a pilot. As the shuttle flew towards earth, Shimei smiled because she knew her parents didn't die in vain. She carried on her father's art when she was a doctor for four years and now she's carrying on her mother's art as a fighter. She would be rewarded when she brought Wufei back. She couldn't wait to find out what it was. 


	7. On Earth

Chapter 6: On Earth  
  
The five girls landed in the spaceport on a bright sunny day in the middle of September. They each got out of their ships and ran to meet with the others. Shimei with her martial art skills was the first on to reach the center of the area. Then it was Dominique, Serena and Hinoko. Elizabeth came last. "Wow! I haven't seen you guys for a while!" Serena said happily. "The training was a blast. If only Doctor G was a bit nicer..." "Yeah, the training was great! I learned a lot!" Elizabeth said. "Well, I was already trained, but Grandpa tested my techniques and made sure I got everything down," Hinoko told the others. "I didn't need much training, but I did work on my tolerance of pain and added a few things to my Gundam," Dominique added. "What about you Shimei? What did you do?" Serena asked. "I practiced Martial Arts in the mornings. Sensei taught me how to pilot a Gundam in the afternoon, and I studied my medicine books at night. My chi level rose quite a lot in the past months. I thing the Gundam piloting training helps a lot!" Shimei replied softly. "So, what do we do now?" Dominique asked. "How about we get something to eat, and find a place to stay? I'm starved!" Serena said happily to the others. She was the most hyper in the group. After a lunch of hamburgers and fries, which all of them enjoyed with the exception of Shimei the girls decided to live in a hotel in Destine. "So, what do we do now?" Elizabeth asked the others. "Let's go check out the OZ base. I hear there may be more to it than we thought!" Dominique answered. "Not a bad idea! I mean, we've gotta start work some where!" Serena said. "Hm... Wufei Chang. I hear my last name Zhang is pronounced Chang in Japanese!" Shimei said in a spacey voice. "And what is THAT supposed to mean, Mei-chan?" Serena asked. "Oh, nothing!" Shimei said blushing. "Come, on! Tell me! No one else will understand if you do it in Chinese!" Serena said to her in Chinese. "Ok, well, I had a cousin. His name was Wufei, but he fell off a cliff when he was 5 and no one knows if he survived. The people on the colony never found his body though!" Shimei told Serena in Chinese. "So you're saying that Wufei could be your cousin?" "Yes." "Wow! " Shimei blushed at the other Chinese girl's comment. "Sere-chan, what are you two talking about?" Hinoko asked. "Nothing!" Serena answered in a secret voice. "Come on! Tell us! Please!" Dominique said. Even though she was an excellent soldier and leader, she was still a girl and she had those girly habits of loving gossip. "I'll draw each of you a portrait of yourselves if you would tell us!" Elizabeth said to Serena and Shimei. "Well, Mei-chan? It's your choice!" Serena said to the shy martial artist. "Hm...well, I don't know!" "Come on girl!" Serena said. "Ok," and Shimei explained to the others what she told Serena. "Well, the only way to find out it to find the boys, ne?" Hinoko said. "Hn. You're right. Come on! We need to hurry! The OZ base closes as soon as the sun sets! We've gotta get in there sooner!" Shimei said to the others. The girls got on a bus and rode to the OZ base. They went in, and waited until all officials were gone. Then they got out of their hiding place and went to the spaceport. There they found the main computer and hacked into the system. By looking at the monitors, they found 5 people wandering in the airfield. "How nice! 5 blind mice! Wonder what they're up to at this hour!" Dominique said in a cat-like voice. "Come on, let's check it out!" Serena urged. If there was any action, she wanted to be part of it! The five girls took off to the airfield. Serena lead the way followed by Shimei, Dominique, Hinoko and Elizabeth. They stopped at the airfield and scanned the area. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
The five Gundam Pilots felt as if they were being watched. This was an odd feeling of insecurity they never felt before. They carefully walked around the airfield, spying on OZ. Even though the OZies are leaders in world peace, they are still not trustworthy. You never know what they might decide to do. Especially Lady Une, the Bi-Polar one. They soon saw 5 girls. The one in front was wearing black pants, a Chinese style shirt and had her waist length hair in a Duo-esque braid. The one behind her wore a pink Chinese style shirt, matching pants and an aqua green sash of silk. The girl in pink looked a lot like a martial artist, especially how she ran. Of course, her sword also helped the fact a little. Then there was a blonde girl with short hair. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top. The 4th girl was blonde also, but this one had waste length hair and blue eyes. She had a cold look in her eyes, not unlike Hiiro's. She had on a blue shirt with buttons and a pair of jeans. The last girl had brown hair and a soft expression on her face. She sported blue jeans and a plain T- shirt. Needless to say, the girls were the new pilots. They quickly found the Gundam Pilots and Serena yelled to the G-boys: "Hey, we want to talk!" "Hm... Onnas!" Wufei remarked. "Wait a sec! The girl with the short blonde hair is kinda cute!" Duo said in his usual joke-like voice. Upon hearing that, Dominique gave him a glare, not quite, but almost as bad as the Hiiro Yui Glare of Death. Duo immediately shut his mouth up. Then, he decided to risk his life to whisper something to Hiiro, "You know, she's almost as bad as you!" Hiiro just glared at the American boy. "Don't worry about them. They're just onnas, weak onnas," Wufei told Duo. That got Serena mad. She clenched her fists into two tight balls and yelled, "I'm NOT weak! As a matter of fact! I'll fight you to prove my point!" "No, Sere-chan. You're not strong enough! I'll do it!" Shimei told Serena in Chinese. She was an expert martial artist, and could tell Wufei was a bit weaker than her, but not much. "Ok, but be careful!" Serena said to her friend. "Come on onna! I don't have all day to wait!" Wufei yelled. "Ok, I'll fight you!" Shimei said to justice boy. "Ok, Onna! Take out your sword! You can start, for it will only be fair since you are weak!" Wufei yelled to Shimei. Shimei got really mad and pulled out her precious sword. She handed the sheath to Serena, then she laughed coldly and just stood there with anger in her eyes. Soon Wufei got impatient. He let out a mighty battle cry and charged at Shimei. Shimei simply smiled and leaped 10 feet into the air. She did a flip with a triple spin, like Trowa, and landed behind Wufei. Wufei spinned around and saw Shimei's perfect landing. He knew he met his match this time as he stared into the girl's cold eyes. *Calm down, Wufei! She's just an Onna!* He said to himself. The two figures stood there for a long time. Neither moving, both tense and ready to leap. *Shimei, chill! Concentrate! He's an excellent fighter, and may even be the cousin you've searched for! Don't go over board and hurt him!* Shimei had confidence she was better than Wufei, and she was. The only problem was the bone chilling fear she has in her heart -- the fear that she would hurt Wufei. The two stood there for a few silent minutes. No one dared to move. The girls looked on worriedly. They knew Shimei might be related to Wufei, and they could see Wufei's arrogance. This caused a problem for they didn't want either side to get hurt. Mean while, on the other side, Hiiro treated this as a sparing session, while Trowa looked bored. As for Quatre and Duo... let's just say they were as worried about Wufei as the girls were worried about Shimei. Ten minutes ticked by, the air was still and chilly. It was, after all, in October. The air was so still that you could clearly hear the people's steady breathing. Wufei was in a tense martial arts stance while Shimei just stood there, sword in hand. The battle has barely begun. Suddenly, Wufei leaped into the air, and aimed his sword at Shimei. The girl leaped back and when Wufei was about the stand up, she jumped to two feet away from him and tripped him. Wufei fell on his back, but used this momentum to leap back up. Shimei also stood up. They took their swords and started to fight. Wufei tried using fast moves and agility to confuse Shimei, but she always knew EXACTLY where to block. In 15 minutes, they exchanged 1000 blows (for those Ranma fans: I know you think this is slow compared to the Tenshin Ammaguriken, but it's still pretty fast if was in real life, ne?). Both were getting tired. Shimei, being a girl, had less endurance than Wufei, but she knew how to use her chi, so she slowed down her blocking and concentrated on the most important parts of Wufei's attacks. Her movements were getting slower, and to the untrained eye, she was losing. Elizabeth knew differently though. She could tell that no matter how fancy Wufei's moves were, Shimei would always be able to block it. The minutes ticked by. Wufei was getting tired. His fights usually didn't last as long as 30 minutes. Shimei was just as worried, though for a different reason. She was worried about the length of this fight, but she was also worried about her chi. It was starting to race through her body in such a way that it could be very dangerous for both her and Wufei. She knew she could beat him if she wanted, but she had to do it without him knowing. She didn't want to hurt his pride. Then she got an idea. It would be painful, but it was the only way. Shimei let out a battle cry and leapt into the air. She then flipped behind Wufei and left her right arm open. Wufei immediately saw the opening and went after it. Shimei took this opportunity and using her sword, cut the outline of a phoenix on his shirt just above his chest. As soon as she finished, she felt a sharp pain go up her arm. Her sword almost fell out of her hand, but she regained control just in time. Shimei leaped back to where the girls were standing, and Wufei leapt back to where the G-boys were. "Shimei! Are you OK?" Hinoko gasped. "Ha! Onna! You lost!" Wufei yelled. "No, you did!" Serena told him. "Why do you say that?" Wufei asked. Elizabeth decided to speak up, "Look on your shirt, where your heart is. There should be an outline of a phoenix. Shimei did that. She could have stuck the sword into your chest, but she didn't. You owe her your life!" Wufei checked his shirt, and sure enough, there was the phoenix. He looked at Shimei, bowed and said, "You are the best fighter I have ever met. I am honored to know you." "You're not that bad yourself Wufei Chang!" Shimei said in Chinese. She had her left arm over the wound and blood was seeping through. She looked at her wound, frowned, and took out a small package of powder, which she poured over the opening. The blood slowly stopped, but the color didn't return to her cheeks. "How did you know my name?" The perplexed boy asked, as Shimei went through the process of the powder. "Are you an orphan who was adopted by your family?" "It is of no importance!" "Yes it is! If I am correct, tell me! You were found at age 5 by your adopted parents at the bottom of a cliff on the L5 Colony. You knew how to write your name but forgot how to pronounce it, ne?" "..." "... Then they taught you. Only they taught you wrong! Your name is pronounced ZHANG! not CHANG! Don't you know?! Don't you remember?!" "What is she babbling about?" Duo whispered to Quatre. "I'm saying you're my cousin Wufei! You're my cousin! Are you not? Is what I say a lie? Please tell me!" "Yes, you are telling the truth!" Wufei whispered. He touched the phoenix on his shirt. "My clan, the Dragon Clan was a group of fierce fighters. The females' symbol was the phoenix, and the males' symbol was the Dragon. She is truly someone from my clan, for only they know how to create this exact symbol." "Um... one question... if you fell off the cliff at that age, why didn't you die and why didn't your parents find you later on?" Duo asked. "They disappeared the same day as Wufei fell off the cliff. We don't know what happened to them," Shimei told the American boy. "The way I see it, we need to get back to the hotel. We can talk another time," Hiiro said to the others. "Wait! One more thing!" Serena said. "OK, but make it quick!" Hiiro gave the girl a Hiiro Yui (tm) Glare of Death, and to his surprise, Serena gave him one back. "The 5 scientists want you back in Outer Space Hiiro Yui, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, or should I say Triton Bloom? Quatre Raberba Winner, and Wufei Chang!" Serena told the 5 boys. She got two surprised looks, two empty expressions and a spacey face that didn't seem to hear her. "Hey, isn't it enough you guys knew Wu-man? How did you know MY name too?" Duo yelled out. "Maxwell, Shut-UP!" Hiiro told him. "We were instructed to find you and bring you to Outer Space," Dominique told Duo. "Oh! RIGHT! And LET me guess! The scientists TRAINED you to fight with Gundams and gave each of you one similar but superior to ours!" Duo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, actually, yeah!" Serena told him. "What? I was being sarcastic!" Duo yelled. "Maybe you need to work on your sarcasm! It sure isn't doing its job very well!" Serena said laughing. "Maxwell! Shut-up before you make them think we're a bunch of bakas!" Hiiro said to him coldly. "Just because I wanted to have a little fun, you don't have to bite my head off! Why is it always me who he yells at? Why is it never anyone else? Why is it always little o' me? Never Wu-man, never Quatre, nor Trowa!" Duo mumbled as he shook his head in despair "Well, is anyone going to tell me what your are going to do? We don't have all day to wait for you boys to decide on it, you know!" Serena's short temper was kicking in. "Right! Shimei is hurt and we need to get back to the hotel so we can apply something to her wound," Elizabeth said, her voice worried. "It's Ok Elizabeth! I'll be fine," Shimei said to the girl. Unfortunately the tremble in her voice and her face told everyone she was far from being OK. She still had her sword in her right hand, and her left hand was over the wound. The bleeding had stopped, but she was still in pain. Her face was white, and a cold sweat covered her face. The bleeding stopped a while ago, but it was not helping. "Hn. I think we should talk about this on another day! First we need to go back to where we are staying," Hiiro voiced his opinion. "Ok, come on, let's get back to the hotel! Mei-chan needs rest!" Serena said, as she turned back. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Serena and the girls went back to their hotel in Destine. When they got there, it was midnight. They accidentally walked past their room. When they tried to get into the wrong room, its door swung open. The G-boys were inside, talking about the little meeting with the girls. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Duo yelled. "Shh! Don't wake up the other guests!" Quatre said to the other boy. "Sorry!" Duo said sarcastically. "I didn't expect them to follow us here!" "We didn't follow you here!" Serena said coldly to Duo. She then turned to Trowa and said, "We are in the other room! Sorry about this!" "It's Ok," Trowa mumbled. He felt like talking today. The girls went to their own rooms, and started talking... "So, what do you think about them?" Serena chattered on. "I'm glad Wufei turned out to be my cousin," Shimei answered while she put some herbal medicine on her wound. "Hey, Mei-chan, you're OK, right?" Serena asked, and seeing the other girl nod, she continued," I'm glad Wufei is you cousin, but I don't see what he has against women!" "Don't worry! We'll teach him girls aren't weak, ne?" Dominique said. "Yeah! We'll teach him!" Elizabeth joined in. She had her paints out and was drawing a portrait of Shimei. "Hey, Elizabeth-chan, what-cha drawin'?" Serena couldn't help but ask. "A portrait of Shimei like I promised," the shy girl answered. "Don't forget to draw one of me!" Serena said smiling. "Oh, you've got to teach me too! I can draw, but nowhere near as well as you! Hey, Nique-chan, what do you think about Braid Boy?" "Please don't call me Nique-chan! I like my name Dominique just fine. And as for the Braided Baka... hmph! He has no brains!" "Hm... I think he's kinda cute!" Hinoko said. The other girls gave her a weird look, so she added, "His braid is interesting and he's got a pretty cool personality. Funny guy too!" "So, you've got a crush on him!" Serena giggled. "No! Just think he's an OK guy!" Hinoko replied." Don't tell me you don't find ANY of them attractive!" "Not telling until you tell Dominique!" Serena said. "Nani?" Dominique was thinking about her regime and didn't hear most of the conversation. "Which of the guys did you find attractive?" Elizabeth asked. At the comment, the girl blushed, " I liked Shimei's cousin. He's a very talented fighter." "Oh! Shimei, did you hear that? Dominique likes your cousin!" Serena said to the shy martial artist, who blushed at the comment. "Well, who do you like?" Elizabeth asked Serena. "You tell first!" Serena answered. Elizabeth blushed and said," The blonde boy with the light blue eyes. He's the most beautiful of them all. I especially love his eyes. They're so soft and caring, but also holds so much pain." "Wow! That's pretty deep, and I have to agree. I like Hiiro because of his eyes too! He has those wonderful blue eyes that just makes my heart race! They're so intense and filled with emotion, even when he's trying not to show any of it, I can still sense the emotion he holds within himself. In my opinion, he is hurt and no matter how hard he tries not to show his pain, I can see it in his eyes. He's cautious because he doesn't want to feel the pain he felt before. I don't know what pain, but it must have been very strong, so strong that he fears it. He's also afraid his emotions might betray him or something. All of those emotions shows in his eyes. It's such a beautiful thing, those emotions! His hair is cool too! I mean, it has that I-just-got-out-of-bed-in-the-morning look, and well, it's just cute. His green tank top and spandex shorts totally show off his body, and you can easily tell it's in really good shape! And plus, he's obviously the leader of the group! You can tell from the way he always says things to represent the others without asking them. And most of all, his voice tells me he is in so much control, and I find that very cool and attractive!" Serena said to the other girls. "Hey, Mei-chan, who do you like?" Dominique asked the girl in pink. "I don't know. None of them seem to suit me. Of course I don't know them well enough to tell, but I don't like any of them so far," Shimei replied, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I guess she has a point there! We don't really KNOW any of them, do we?" Dominique said. "I guess you're right! We don't!" Serena thought out loud. "Oh, well, I'm sure we'll have time! After all, we ARE going train with them for a while in space, ne?" Hinoko said. Then she smiled evilly, and said, "And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to fight Hiiro in practice! And then we can prove to the boys we're better than they think!" "Yeah!" the other girls smiled and each imagined themselves fighting the boy they are supposed to bring to outer space. 


	8. Prelude to a Challenge

Part 7 (of whatever we're going to call this fic)  
  
---  
  
rinoastar  
  
---  
The next morning, Hinoko woke up bright and early, eager to get her  
  
mission over. She surveyed the room, looking at her new teammates, which  
  
she could end up spending a lot of time with. They say the way you sleep  
  
says a lot about you. If this was true, Hinoko mused, her teammates were  
  
greatly different from herself.  
  
She slept on her back, flat and lifeless. She knew that. She  
  
glanced at Serena. The other girl was sprawled over the edge of her bed.  
  
She looked a lot like Tsukino Usagi, from Sailor Moon. Her long brown hair  
  
was draped over the nightstand, its soft black tips dragging the floor.  
  
Hinoko assumed she was very open. She probably expedcted others to  
  
be so, as well. Then she moved on. Dominique was lying on her stomach.  
  
She looked as if she was keeping watch, and Hinoko half expected her eyes to  
  
be open. 'Dominique must be on he guard at all times, ' Hinoko mused.  
  
'Even when she's asleep. '  
  
Shimei had taken her hair down, and the black silk was in her face.  
  
She was snuggled into a chair, insisting that the chair was more comfortable  
  
than the cot they'd ordered. A book was tucked firmly under her arm, and a  
  
katana under the chair. Her medical books were in a neat little stack next  
  
to her on a table.  
  
She was probably very smart, but very secretive. And organized, from  
  
the looks of the things around her. Elizabeth was lying on the cot. She  
  
was  
  
curled up on only one side of it, to avoid the middle bar. Her brown hair  
  
was in her face, as well, and the sunlight from the window was giving it an  
  
almost mettalic gold sheen. Her pencils and artpad were laying on the other  
  
half of the cot.  
  
She looked somewhat secretive to Hinoko. She was definitely artsy,  
  
and probably sensitive. She gave the appearance of having a softer 'shell'  
  
than the others, and Hinoko paused in her musings.  
  
"Minna, it's time to get up, " she said in a loud voice. Dominique  
  
gave a little jump and was awake, helping wake the others up. Shimei woke  
  
up at the sound of everything rustling. She leaned over and woke Elizabeth  
  
up.  
  
Meanwhile, Hinoko was trying to wake Serena up. "One more minute, "  
  
the sleepy girl said.  
  
"No. Now, " Hinoko shook her.  
  
"Fine. I'm up, " Serena glared at her. "Honestly, a few more  
  
minutes couldn't really hurt. What is it? A mission?"  
  
Hinoko shrugged. "I haven't checked yet. "  
  
Everyone else facevaulted. "You mean you woke us up before eight for  
  
nothing?" Dominique asked. Elizabeth sweatdropped.  
  
"You can't be serious! Before eight?" Serena demanded. Hinoko  
  
smirked at her and logged into her laptop. With a few short clicks, she  
  
found a message from the scientists.  
  
'Girls' Hinoko read.  
  
'Thank you for the well written mission statement. Since you have  
  
already arrived in Destin and we still haven't recieved word from the boys,  
  
you may have this day off. Remember that wherever you go, keep an eye out  
  
for the boys. If you see them, send us a message and we will tell you how  
  
to  
  
capture them.  
  
'Message Terminated.'  
  
Shimei frowned. "Should we tell them that we've already seen them?"  
  
"No way! I want today off!" Dominique giggled. "I haven't had a  
  
day off in a long time. "  
  
"Well, where do we go?" Elizabeth asked. Serena's eyes lit up.  
  
"Disney World!" she crowed. The others sweatdropped.  
  
"Disney World it is, then, " Hinoko shrugged.  
  
---  
  
The five girls wandered in and out of the tiny children's villiage  
  
of ToonTown. Dominique and Serena dragged them into all of the tiny houses;  
  
Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy. They ran into Alice from Wonderland and  
  
she signed autographs.  
  
"Which Kingdom do you want to visit next?" Hinoko asked, calmly  
  
eating an ice cream cone.  
  
"I'd like to see Epcot, " Elizabeth suggested. "I've heard it was  
  
amazing. "  
  
"Which one's Epcot?" Shimei asked. Dominique pulled out a postcard  
  
from a book and showed it to her. Shimei took the book and flipped through  
  
the cards. The first card was of Epcot Center lit up with fireworks. The  
  
second was of the gates to Little Japan shrouded in mist off of the lake.  
  
Yet another was of Little China's pagodas and beautiful, vivid colors.  
  
Shimei handed back the book and nodded.  
  
"Epcot it is, " Hinoko replied, leading them to the buses. They  
  
paid for tickets and rode to Epcot. As Spaceship Earth loomed ahead of them  
  
and the monorail zoomed by, they watched the people in the bus. Elizabeth  
  
noted how excited they looked and how happy the little children were.  
  
They stepped out of the bus and into the crowded streets. "It's like  
  
everyone and their cousin are here! How are we going to get around?"   
  
Serena  
  
asked before bumping into someone.  
  
"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?" the decidedly  
  
masculine voice came from a petite person. It was one of the Gundam pilots.  
  
"Oh, it's *you*, " he said pointedly, tossing his braid over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, it's us. Are you just determined to ruin our stay here?  
  
We're trying to enjoy a day off here, and you go and bump into us!" Serena  
  
snapped. Duo frowned.  
  
"Well, the feeling's mutual. All we want is to enjoy ourselves, and  
  
not be bothered, " he replied.  
  
"Why don't we stick together? It would be nice to get to know you  
  
guys better if we're going to have to work together for a while, "   
  
Elizabeth  
  
suggested. Quatre agreed, and Duo looked the girls over.  
  
"You're kinda cute. It won't hurt my reputation to be seen with  
  
you, " he relented.  
  
"Your reputation?!" Serena burst out.  
  
"Hey, I was kidding!" Duo grinned.  
  
"I've got a challenge for you, Mr. Macho. Ride Space Mountain, "  
  
Dominique snickered.  
  
"I don't think we need to be spending any time together at all. We  
  
still don't know if you are lying or not, " Hiiro stated. Duo threw an arm  
  
around his neck.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Hii-chan!" he grinned. "They're just girls!"  
  
"Right. Stupid onnas, " Wufei piped in, nursing his wounded ego  
  
from having lost to Shimei.  
  
"Stupid onnas?" Hinoko's eyes glinted dangerously. She looked like  
  
Hiiro when he had been told he had a mission.  
  
"We'll see who's stupid!" Serena snapped. "Meet us at the hotel  
  
court at 7 p.m. tonight and we'll show you!"  
  
"Anou . . . I think we should just get in line for the ride, "  
  
Elizabeth interrupted.  
  
"Yes, " Trowa agreed.  
  
The group stepped up to the line. Since the line for Space Mountain  
  
is one of the fastest in the park, they were soon inside and arguing over  
  
who  
  
would sit where.  
  
"There's ten of us, and the ride seats three per car. I won't ride  
  
with Duo or Wufei, " Dominique said.  
  
"I won't ride with Hinoko. She's too much like Hii-chan!" Duo  
  
waggled his tongue at Hiiro.  
  
"I'll ride with anybody, but we'd better hurry before the ride  
  
starts, " Elizabeth peacefully said.  
  
They ended up sitting as follows: Serena, Dominique, and Hiiro in  
  
the first car, Duo, Wufei, and Trowa in the second car, Hinoko, Quatre, and  
  
Elizabeth in the third, and Shimei had a car to herself. Everyone seemed  
  
relatively pleased with the arrangements. Serena kept winking at Elizabeth,  
  
who sat behind Quatre.  
  
The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. They all enjoyed  
  
their stay, and began to look forward to their upcoming game. At 5 p.m.,  
  
they bid farewell so that they could eat before their little challenge.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -  
  
AN: All of the things about Walt Disney World are true. I went there the  
  
summer before last, and the postcard book they were looking at? I have it!  
  
Diagram of seating arrangements:  
  
_____________________  
  
/ |--------------||  
  
/ |HY |QRW | ES ||  
  
|(f) |(m) | (f)||  
  
\ |--------------||  
  
\---------------------|  
  
_____________________  
  
/ |--------------||  
  
/ |SS |DK | HY ||  
  
|(f) |(f) | (m)||  
  
\ |--------------||  
  
\---------------------|  
  
_____________________  
  
/ |--------------||  
  
/ |DM |WC | TB ||  
  
|(m) |(m) | (m)||  
  
\ |--------------||  
  
\---------------------|  
  
_____________________  
  
/ |--------------||  
  
/ |SZ | | ||  
  
|(f) | | ||  
  
\ |--------------||  
  
\---------------------| 


	9. Basketball Determines Friend or Foe

Chapter 8: Basketball Determines Friend or Foe By Shanchan  
  
"There's two hours left! Does everyone know how to play basketball?" Serena asked. Finally! A basketball game where she can display her talent! How wonderful! If only the coaches were here! They'd get SO mad! But no, they're not here. They are on L2 and she is going to kick the boys' asses!  
  
"I've seen some boys play it when I lived with my parents, but I'm not too sure about the rules!" Elizabeth said.  
  
"I've never had time!" Hinoko responded. "But Grandfather taught me just in case I had to play during a mission. I guess he was right!"  
  
"I've played a few times with the other soldiers," was Dominique's reply.  
  
"What is 'Basketball'? I've never heard of it! Is it some sport you play? Is it like martial arts?" Shimei asked.  
  
Serena gave out an exasperated sigh. "Come on! I'll show you!" She yelled to her friends as she ran out of the restaurant and towards the hotel. The others quickly followed. When she got to the hotel room, Serena said to the others, "Change into something you can sweat in! We need to get some work done before going against the boys. I hear Hiiro and Duo are an excellent pair! If we want to beat them, we have our work cut out!"  
  
"I thought we could beat them now!" Shimei said.  
  
"No way! I mean, Dominique and I are practically the only people in this group that has EVEN PLAYED THE GAME! Basketball is harder than you think! If we want to beat them, we'll need to come up with something totally awesome!" Serena's voice was filled with enthusiasm.  
  
"Oi, Sere-chan! Do you have anything I could borrow? I wasn't planning on anything like this!" Hinoko yelled from across the room. "And don't forget, I know how to play too! All I need is a bit of practice!"  
  
Serena, at that time had already changed into jean shorts and a black sleeveless shirt with fire embroidered on it. "Sure! and gomen nasai!" She yelled as she tossed a similar outfit to Hinoko. The shirt was brownish- green and suited Hinoko very well. Then Serena dug into her bag, and threw her clothes all over the place. Finally she yelled, "Eureka! I found it!" Grabbing the orange and black basketball, she quickly put on her tennis shoes, and ran down the hall, braid flying while yelling, "Hayakku! We only have one hour left!"  
  
The others dressed quickly and followed her outside.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Well, that's the basic rules! Now all we need to do is practice!" Serena said as she smiled. Wow! This is going to be great! "Um... here's the plan! We'll have a two on three game! Lizzie, Mei-chan and Hinoko-chan against Nini-chan and me!"  
  
"Um... sure! How much time do we have left?" Dominique asked.  
  
"Around forty-five minutes!"  
  
"OK, let's get to work!" Dominique said.  
  
The girls played a thirty minute game. Serena sharpened her skills a bit and she found Hinoko and Dominique to be great players. After the game, they talked as they waited for the boys.  
  
"Hey! Nini-chan! You're REALLY good at this!" Serena said.  
  
"Arigato! I just like sports a lot!"  
  
"I do too! Especially contact sports! I've always wanted to learn Martial Arts. Mei-chan can you teach me some?"  
  
"Sure! Why not?" Shimei answered in Chinese.  
  
"What did she say?" Elizabeth asked in her gentle tone of voice.  
  
"Nothing major!" was Serena's reply.  
  
"We need to figure out our game plan!" Hinoko brought the others back on track.  
  
Flipping back her waste length braid, Serena thought for a while before saying to Hinoko, "I want to try something with you."  
  
"Sure, what?"  
  
"I'm gone pass the ball to you and I want to see if you can make it from center court!"  
  
"I might be able to!"  
  
Serena and Hinoko positioned themselves on the court.  
  
"OK! Here it comes!" the black haired girl yelled. She then tossed the ball to the blond who caught it with ease. Then Hinoko spun around and aimed the ball at the net.  
  
*SWOOSH!*  
  
It went in.  
  
"I guess it worked! Can you do it from anywhere on our side?" Serena asked. This is SO cool that Hinoko is SO good at shooting!  
  
"I'll try!" Hinoko said and tried she did. She shot ten times from all over the court and made eight of them.  
  
"Great!" Serena exclaimed. "You can be our top shooter! I'm OK at lay-ups so I'll do that! Mei-chan, what area do you want to cover?"  
  
"Doesn't matter! You get to choose!" Shimei answered in Chinese.  
  
"Can you guard your cousin and make sure he doesn't get the ball?" Serena asked in Japanese.  
  
Shimei hesitated. "I would rather not! His pride was hurt because I fought and beat him. I don't want to jeopardize our relationship in anyway. He is, after all, my only living relative!"  
  
"I'll guard him!" Elizabeth's voice rang out over the silence.  
  
"Arigato Lizzie. Mei-chan, gomen nasai! I wasn't thinking. Why don't you guard Trowa? I hear he can do the same type of flips as you did last night!" Serena said.  
  
Shimei blushed at the last comment. "Arigato for understanding me! Don't worry about it! I know this game means a lot to you!"  
  
It was Serena's turn to blush now. "The school I went to never allowed GIRLS to play. I had to beg and plead my way into those games. I just wanted a chance to prove myself!"  
  
"GOD! That's terrible!" Dominique's voice was filled with sympathy for her friend.  
  
"Yeah! But ya know what? I was better than all the boys at basketball!" Serena laughed. GOD! It felt good knowing she was better than those boys! "Also, Hinoko and Dominique are better than the boys at my school too! They're SO pathetic!"  
  
The others started giggling! Then Serena continued, "OK, here's our game plan. I'll guard Braid Boy. Dominique, you can take care of Hiiro. Shimei, you have Trowa. Um.. Lizzie, you sure you can take care of Onna Boy?"  
  
"I'll do my best!"  
  
"Good enough for me! And when you get the ball, pass it to one of us, K?"  
  
"Hai! I hate shooting!"  
  
"And I guess that leaves me with Quatre!" Hinoko said. "Nice and easy!" She smiled.  
  
"Hai! We'll be an exellent team! Just remember to follow the rules and Mei- chan, use your flip thing as much as possible! Not many of us can reach that height!" Serena gave her team a bit more advice. That's when the boys showed up.  
  
Hiiro wore his usual green tank-top and black spandex and those ugly yellow tennis shoes. Duo wore a black tank-top with black shorts and a pair of black tennis shoes. Wufei was wearing his white tank-top and white pants with his black shoes and the other two boys sported a T-shirt and shorts. They looked the girls over. Shimei, as always was wearing her pink outfit. Her hair was tied in the two odango as usual and she didn't have her sword with her. Elizabeth wore Umbros and a white T-shirt. She had her hair in a pony tail. Dominique's hair was also in a pony tail and she was wearing black bike shorts and a red sleevless shirt. Hinoko had on the outfit Serena lent her -- the brownish-green sleevless shirt, jean shorts and a pair of white tennis shoes. She, unlike the others, kept her hair down. As for Serena, she was wearing the black shirt and jean shorts. Her hair was in a braid and she glared at the boys hostilely with the dark brown eyes of hers. It made Quatre and Duo very tense. Serena had a glare VERY similar to the "Hiiro Yui Glare of Death".  
  
"So, you arrived! I guess you REALLY WANT to have your ass kicked!" Serena said to the male pilots.  
  
"No, we just wanted to test out you ladies. After all Hiiro and I've NEVER met anyone who ever came remotely CLOSE to beating us!" Duo replied to the ravened haired girl. Sure, Serena was cute, but her words were NOT very nice.  
  
"Don't make me laugh! We could take you on anyday!" Serena argured back to the braided boy.  
  
"We'll see who's the better fighter when this whole thing is over," Hiiro cut in calmly, his voice like a knife breaking the tenseness. "Duo, it's useless arguing with them since the arguement cannot be won without proof!"  
  
"But..." mumbled Duo.  
  
"No 'but's Duo!" Hiiro said to the violet eyed boy.  
  
"Why don't we just cut to the chase and get this game over with?" Dominique asked. Her voice was tired and annoyed, mostly from Serena and Duo's constant argueing.  
  
"Fine with me!" Sereena said. "So, are we gonna sit around and talk or play the game?" Duo asked.  
  
"Play!" Serena replied with a grin. "Who gets the ball first?"  
  
"Why don't we do it the normal way?" Duo asked. "And is 40 minutes long enough to determine the winner?"  
  
"Fine with me!" Serena said as she walked over to Shimei. Then she whispered in chinese, "I'm gonna toss the ball up, and you try to knock it to someone on our team, K?"  
  
"Ok," said the other girl.  
  
The players gathered at center court. Trowa and Shimei were chosen to go for the ball. Serena tossed the it into the air and the game began. In the first twenty minutes, the scoring was pretty even.  
  
On the girl's side, Serena, Hinoko and Dominique scored 65% of their baskets and Elizabeth made 20 assists. Shimei also had her shares of assist and scores. As for the boys, Duo and Hiiro worked together very well and made a total of 30 points. Trowa, Quatre and Wufei also had their moments of glory. After twenty minutes, the two teams were 45-44, boys. Many people stopped to watch them and stare in awe.  
  
Serena was amazed by Duo and Hiiro's skills.  
  
"Wow! You two are really good! You must really like this game!" She said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a drink of water.  
  
"Hai! It's really fun!," Duo said and smiled. "You're not bad yourself, especially for a girl!"  
  
"What do you mean for a girl?" Serena retorted, hands on hips.  
  
"Hey, calm down! No need to get mad! I wasn't tryin' to be rude or anything!" Duo said, hand raised in the air.  
  
"Gomen nasai! I tend to have a bad temper at times! Who would stand up for me if I don't, ne?" Serena said laughing.  
  
After a ten minutes, the break was over. They played the rest of the game as well as the first. Serena, Dominique, Duo, Hiiro, and Hinoko all played thier hardest. The girls had the ball during the last 20 seconds. The score was 80-78, boys. Shimei passed the ball to Elizabeth who passed the ball to Serena. She dribbled the ball a bit, and when there was only 5 seconds left, passed it to Hinoko. She then passed it to Dominique for a lay-up. The time was up, and the two sides had tied. The audience soon left, and they were left alone.  
  
"So, do we play more, or just let it be a tie?" Hiiro asked.  
  
"Call it a draw! There's no way we would concede to YOU being better than us. I'm sure you feel the same way, ne?" Hinoko stated, tossing her blonde hair back.  
  
"Hai! You're right! If we do this, neither side will be happy, and we'll end up hating each other! NOT GOOD!" Serena agreed. Her face was red from the game and she was pretty much inhaling the water she was drinking. Sweat trailed down her face but she was very happy.  
  
"Ok, works for me!" Duo said as he took a drink of his water too. His braid was a mess and he was genuinly surprised that GIRLS could beat him and Hiiro.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll see you again sooner or later!" Dominique said.  
  
"Hai!" Trowa replied and tuned to leave. The others followed. When Wufei was about to go, Shimei stopped him.  
  
"Wufei! Please, I want to talk to you!" She cried out in Chinese.  
  
"What for? Haven't you insulted me enought by defeating me in battle?" He retorted rudely.  
  
This brought on tears. "I'm sorry! I really am! You have to know I'm a warrior just like yourself! I have pride too! I'm really sorry!"  
  
Wufei turned around at the sound of her crying. "Weak ONNA!" He spat in Japanese.  
  
Shimei fell to her knees, crying. Wufie looked at her and turned to go. This angered Serena.  
  
"Hey! She tried to apologize! At least take her sincerity into consideration! You're all she has left in this world!"  
  
Wufei's expressions softened at the other girl's words, "I'm sorry! I have hurt her, haven't I? I am unworthy of living!" He sighed and pulled out his sword. That's when Shimei looked up.  
  
"Noooooo!" She cried and ran towards Wufei. "Don't die!" 


	10. Confusion

Chapter 9: Confusion By: Shanchan  
  
"Noooooo!" Shimei cried, "Don't die!" She jumped up, did a Trowa-esque flip and landed between Wufei's sword and chest.  
  
"ONNA!" Wufei said angrily. "Isn't it enough that you took my honor away by beating me? What do you want to do now?"  
  
"Sorry!" Shimei whispered in Chinese. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I wanted to win! I've always wanted to be the best in what I do! I'm really sorry!"  
  
"Well, you're the best now, so why don't you let me die in peace?"  
  
"Because I need you. I don't want you to die! You're my family, the only family I have left!"  
  
"Just leave me alone!" Wufei said, pushing the girl away, and trying once again to plunge the saber into his heart.  
  
"I won't let you!" Shimei screamed. Fortunately it was late, and no more people were around. All the ones that were at the basketball game had left. The court was quiet and no one heard Shimei's scream. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Hey, where's Wu-man?" Duo asked when the silence had gotten to him and he noticed he didn't hear Wufei's constant ranting.  
  
"Don't know!" Hiiro grunted.  
  
"Do you think we should see if he's back here?" Quatre asked nervously.  
  
"We should!" Trowa said, and turned to head back.  
  
Upon arriving at the scene, they heard Wufei yelling at Shimei to leave him alone, and Shimei screaming and crying. Duo looked at the girls. Dominique, Elizabeth and Hinoko had ran near where Shimei was, but they were afraid to get too close to the battling couple. He scanned the court for Serena. When he found her, she was standing 10 yards away and her face was emotionless. *GOD! Why is she so apathetic? For crying out loud, her friend is screaming her head off, and what's she doing? Treating it as if it's only a game!* He walked up to Serena and said, "Oi! Can't you see your friend needs help? For crying out loud! Go, help her!"  
  
"Look, she's my friend, and I know she can take care of it herself!" Serena shrugged Duo's comment off. The other girls had, by this time, ran up to Wufei and Shimei and were trying to prevent either side from getting hurt. Wufei was now angry. His sword was whipped around his body so fast, all Serena could see was a flash of light. Shimei was weaving in and out of it skillfully. To Serena, the girl seemed to be in control of the situation, even thought she was screaming and crying.  
  
"Look at her. Do you think she's in complete control now? She's screaming her ass off!" Duo looked at Shimei. Her silky hair was not tied up with the string anymore, instead, it was flying behind her as she skillfully tried to take the sword from Wufei's hand while she yelled at Wufei in Chinese in her now hoarse voice.  
  
"Duo, it's not going to make any difference if you use any profanity or not considering it's only words!" Serena said, trying to ignore Duo.  
  
"Well, at least I care, even if she's not my friend! You, on the other hand don't even seem to care!" Duo yelled, getting frustrated.  
  
"She's a martial artist!" Serena said, as if THAT would explain everything.  
  
"Now, what is that supposed to mean? I mean, she's still human isnt' she?" Looking at the girl.  
  
"Is Hiiro human?" Serena retorted. She was quickly getting tired of this Duo, even if he was really cute.  
  
"No one! No one can say that about Hiiro except me, got it? No one is allowed to say that!" Duo's expression suddenly darkened. He had a maniacal gleam in his eye. It startled Serena, but she decided to pretend she didn't notice.  
  
"Well, is Hiiro human?" Serena asked again in her cold, uncaring voice. Why not make Duo hate her? He's so mean insulting her and everything. She still wasn't ready to forgive his comment from that morning.  
  
"He's more human than you'll ever be!" Duo spat out at the raven-haired girl and turned to Wufei and Shimei's arguement. He didn't want to see the look that Serena had. He knew she had emotions and was easily hurt, but she was being so rude and uncaring that he had to say something to make her think. The comment was the only thing he could think of at the time.  
  
By this time, the others had join in the struggle. Duo decided that Shinigami needed to help too, even if he was puny compared to Trowa and Hiiro, he wanted to show Serena he wasn't as cold-hearted as she.  
  
Duo's words played themselves over and over in Serena's mind. "He's more human than you'll ever be! He's more human than you'll ever be!" Serena stared at the fight that was raging on. Her closest friend was trapped within it. Suddenly she remembered something.  
  
********Flashback********  
  
"Hey, Shimei, that was pretty cool! So what else can you do with you're martial arts?" Serena asked as she and the others walked back to the hotel room. It was after the fight they had with Wufei, the one Shimei had won. Shimei's arm was hurt, but it had pretty much stopped bleeding.  
  
"Um... how about THIS?" Shimei said as she took her fore and middle fingers and poked Serena on a pressure point. A strange energy traveled through the girl's arm and into the rest of the body, forming a forcefield. She froze in place.  
  
"Hey! I can't move!" Serena yelled.  
  
Shimei laughed and gently patted Serena on the back. Another surge of energy broke the forcefield and Serena was back to normal.  
  
"So what was that?" Serena asked.  
  
"Just a technique I learned from my mom's books!" Shimei said. Then she explained to Serena about pressure points.  
  
********End Flashback********  
  
*Duo's right! She's NOT thinking straight!* Serena realized suddenly. If Shimei was thinking, she would've used the pressure point technique on Wufei. *God! And I thought she was going to be ok!*  
  
"Shimei, dian ta de xue dao!"[1] Serena screamed to the girl dressed in pink in Chinese.  
  
Realizing her friend was right, Shimei quickly leaped into the sky, and took out some needles, while screaming, "Everyone move out of the way!" Then she flipped and threw the needles at Wufei's various pressure points, freezing him in place. Landing, she looked at Serena and said, "Xiexie!"[2] Then she turned and knelt in front of Wufei, waiting for him to undo her technique so she could apologize to him.  
  
Serena blushed at the other girl's comment. She ran up to Duo, bowed and said, "I'm sorry! I thought she had it under control! I'm sorry! I didn't realize she was struggling until you said what you said."  
  
"Hmm... looks like you decided at last to try to be human, ne?" Duo laughed. He didnt'hate her as much now that she didn't act like she was perfect.  
  
"Gomen nasai! I didn't realize it was doing that!" Serena apologized again.  
  
Duo laughed again. "Most people don't. Look at poor Hiiro, he's so serious all the time! You'd think he didn't know what it means to be human!"  
  
"Yeah, poor Hiiro!" Serena sighed. Then she said in a dreamy voice,"But his eyes are so intense and beautiful! I love that cobalt blue color!"  
  
"Yeah, he's beautiful isn't he? He's just so intense and all of Doctor J's stupid training has gone to his head! It's so fucking annoying!" Duo told the girl, his voice sounded almost sad.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Serena inquired, mirth dancing within her dark brown eyes.  
  
Duo thought what he said and muttered to himself, "Duo no baka!"  
  
That brought on more laughter from Serena. Serena then turned to look at Shimei. She still knelt there, Wufei's sword in hand. Her long ebony hair blew in Florida's autumn breeze. The basketball court was empty except for the ten teens standing there, waiting for their friends to solve a family problem mixed with personal honor.  
  
"Shit!" Serena muttered.  
  
"What now?" Duo asked. He was the only one standing close enough to hear her.  
  
"Look at Shimei. She has Wufei's sword. Based on Wufei's sense of honor, he would take the sword and kill either himself or Shimei. But I heard he has a strong sense of integrity. That means he's gonna most likely kill himself!"  
  
"Serena's right!" Elizabeth said. "We've gotta help her stop him!"  
  
"No!" Hiiro's deep voice cut in suddenly. "Wufei's not that stupid! He knows what he must do. He has a goal in life and he needs to fulfill it. I don't know what happened, but a while ago he wasn't thinking clearly. Once he's back to his senses, he'll know what's best and he's do just that. No one's going to die if Wufei can just calm down enough!"  
  
"Hiiro's right!" Trowa said simply.  
  
"You really think so Trowa? I mean he doesn't seem very coherent now. Look at him, he seems so angry!" Elizabeth said timidly.  
  
"He'll be fine of Hiiro and Trowa says so!" Quatre comforted the aesthetic girl.  
  
The others watched and waited. After 2 minutes, Wufei suddenly yelled, leaped up into the air and from seemingly no where pulled out a whip like weapon. Shimei looked up, gasped at the weapon, and quickly got into her battle stance.  
  
"Jiu Jie Bian!" Serena cried out. She started to run towards Shimei, but Hiiro stopped her.  
  
"What is that thing?" He asked in his cold voice.  
  
"Jiu Jie Bian or nine jointed whip! No time to explain. Shimei may need my help! It's a really dangerous weapon!" Serena said without thinking.  
  
"You're not going to be much help considering you don't know martial arts yourself baka!"  
  
"..." Serena fell silent. She knew Hiiro was right, but she didn't want Duo to disparage her again. It had hurt and she wanted to prove she had feelings. By this time Shimei and Wufei had, once again, started to fight. Serena was nervously eyeing the battle, her mind searching for a way to help her friend.  
  
"Look, why don't you make her suggestions! The last one you made her really helped!" Elizabeth quickly understood what Serena was thinking. "Like that she can concentrate on what she's doing and you can help her!"  
  
"Not a bad idea... but..."  
  
"But what?" Dominique asked.  
  
Serena didn't answer her friend. She simply turned around and asked Hiiro, "How much chi do you think Wufei has?"  
  
"Nani?" For once in his life, Hiiro was confused.  
  
"Chi! Life energy!"  
  
"I know that part but why do you need to know?"  
  
"Never mind!" Serena turned her attention back to the battle. Wufei's whip was spinning in a silver circle around Shimei, who in turn was doing an OK job at eluding the weapon. Unfortunately, being a girl, she was tiring quickly.  
  
"Kuso!" Serena muttered.  
  
"Look who's using profanity this time?" Duo teased.  
  
"Damara Duo! Shimei's in trouble!"  
  
"Do you have any ideas Hinoko? I hear you've learned martial arts before!" Serena turned to the blond beauty for help.  
  
"I've never studied martial arts. I only know the basics for kenpo!"  
  
"Oh!" Serena said dissappointed. She had an idea, but it would be very dangerous unless she was willing to sacrefice herself. She decided there was nothing else she could do. Last night Wufei wasn't trying very hard so he lost, but he's actually very strong. She decided to do everything she could. Running up to the battle ground, she leaped up and kicked towards Wufei's silver circle. The whip hit her leg and send her flying.  
  
"Itai!" Serena landed on the ground with a moan. She was surprised to find Wufei didn't put much strength into his weapon and she was barely even bruised. Then again, maybe he was able to prevent Serena from getting hurt. Praying it was the former, Serena yelled at Shimei, "Grab his weapon and test his chi!"  
  
Shimei nodded her head and throwing down the sword, grabbed the whip and attempted to throw it out of Wufei's hands. Wufei was prepared, and she felt his chi surging into her body. It messed up the flow within herself and the only thing her body knew to do was to push the energy back out.  
  
The two stayed like that for 15 minutes, beads of sweat slowly formed on both forheads and their friends looked on, worried.  
  
"Do you care to explain what's going on since you most likely understand what's going on?" Hiiro asked, breaking the deafening silence.  
  
"I guess I owe it to you guys, ne?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Ok, remember how I asked you how much chi Wufei has?"  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"Well, chi is what the two of them are battling with now. Wufei and Shimei are all martial artists. They know how to control their chi to do things for them. Shimei's chi is more of the ying and Wufei's is of yang. What they're doing is Wufei tried to push his chi into Shimei and hurt her. Shimei, not wanting to get injured, used her chi to push Wufei's energy back. They're kinda stuck like that unless they stop at the same time, or else..."  
  
"Or else what?" Quatre asked. His eyes opened wide, and he looked very concerned.  
  
"One of them may get injured REALLY bad!" Serena finished.  
  
"So how are you planning to stop them?" Duo asked.  
  
"I'll show you!" Serena smiled, and walked up to Wufei and Shimei. She picked up Wufei's sword, and with one smooth motion, cut the whip. Instantly the sword shattered. Shimei, her energy drained, collapsed onto the ground. The girls rushed up around her.  
  
Wufei also sat down on the concrete. He was breathing heavily, but unhurt. "Kuso!" he muttered, looking at his sword and whip. The sword was impossible to fix but the whip could possibly be fused back together.  
  
"Oi, Wuffie, you Ok?" Duo asked the chinese boy.  
  
"Hai!" Wufei responded.  
  
Serena looked at Wufei, "I'm sorry about what I said to you, but you can't take your life like a joke! You really scared Shimei, and she's really tired now, with all the crying and stuff. I hope you're satisfied!"  
  
Wufei stared at the angry girl. He uncomfortably cleared his throat. Serena was giving him a glare of death and it was really making him uncomfortable. Upon realizing what she was doing, Serena's expression softened, "Gomen Nasai!"  
  
"..." Wufei was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and said, "She's a great martial artist! Possible better than me. It's not her fault she beat me last night! And I don't think it'll hurt my honor loosing to her. I apologize about my rudeness!"  
  
"Are you going to anything else that's stupid?" Serena asked, sounding more like a police officer than a 16 year old girl.  
  
"She'll be ok," Hinoko said, after she had checked Shimei's pulse. "Just a bit tired, that's all."  
  
"Good! And Wufei, Hiiro, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre, I hope the ten of us can one day become good friends. After all, we still need to report back to the scientists!" Dominique tried to sum everything up and make up with the others.  
  
"Hn. What does Doctor J need now?" Hiiro asked.  
  
"I don't know, but you should find out soon!" Hinoko said as she picked up Shimei.  
  
Then they turned to go back to the hotel. Serena stood on the court for a while, her dark hair blowing in the wind. It had been a long day today. She really needed to write it in her tiger diary....  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
[1] Ping ying, kinda like romanji, only you can't pronounce it as easily. Serena said, push his pressure points!  
  
[2] Thank you! 


	11. Surprise Ride

Chapter 10 --------- chapter by rinoastar fic by Shanchan and rinoastar ---------  
  
Early the next morning, the girls were sitting comfortably on their beds, still wrapped in their pajamas. It was about four a.m., and the artificial light had not yet begun to glow. Shimei was lying back on one of the beds and Hinoko was clicking away at her laptop. Dominique and Elizabeth were reviewing data for the mission. Shimei glanced up from the thick tome she was studying to her companions. "Should we not be heading out, or at least preparing to go? The boys told us to be standing outside just before light, and it's already four, " she asked, marking her place and putting it away. "Yes, we need to get dressed now, " Hinoko replied, shutting down her computer and closing it firmly. "Our shuttle will be here at five thirty, and there are five of us. That gives us each ten minutes for a shower and the last person will have ten minutes to dress. The last thirty minutes will be to double check if all of our things are packed and to collect the boys. The order will be alphabetical, so there is no room for arguement. Dominique, Elizabeth, myself, Serena, then Shimei. Do you think you can wash yourself?" she asked the Chinese girl. "Of course!" Shimei growled indignantly. She flipped over in the bed and began to shuffle through her medical journals. Then she glared at Dominique. "Hurry up and go, you! You've only got ten minutes." Dominique blinked and left to take her shower. Elizabeth glared at Hinoko's back as the colony-native freedom fighter began to gather her belongings. The sympathetic girl sat down next to her injured friend and sighed. Serena sat down on Shimei's other side. "She doesn't mean to seem so cold, Shimei. She doesn't understand. In her world, perfection is necessary and injuries mean that you are inferior, " Elizabeth said quietly. "I've heard a lot from G. about how J. raises his warriors, and it isn't pleasant, even if she is his granddaughter. It's intended to bring out the brutal efficiency inborn in all humans. Even if she's his granddaughter, he might have used those techniques on her. They make perfect drones, soldiers that can do anything and feel no remorse, " Serena added. "I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe if she spends a little more time around people, she'll get better at understanding and accepting other people, " Elizabeth smiled and stood up, seeing the steam roll out from beneath the door of the bathroom. "She's right. She'll warm to us after a while, " Serena smiled, patting her hand and standing up to gather her own items. As soon as all five of them had taken their showers and checked their luggage, they left to meet the boys. They were a few minutes early, since Hinoko had given them far too much time to check their luggage. Serena shifted uncomfortably as she waited. "I hate waiting!" Serena snapped to the others. Hinoko chuckled to herself and folded her arms, the light of the streetlamp positioned directly above them setting off dramatic shadows around the five girls. Elizabeth had taken a roll of photographs with a timed camera, to draw later. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of waiting, the boys showed up. "You're late, " Hinoko sourly drawled, turning on her heel to go. "I had to listen to Silverman there complaining." She heard laughter behind her and rolled her eyes. "Man, she is JUST like Hiiro!" the annoying baka with a braid was busy telling all of the pilots who stood around to listen. She snorted under her breath and checked her watch. "You can stand there and chit-chat, but I'm going on to catch our shuttle. It leaves in twenty minutes, and we need to lift something we can all ride in and get gone before the morning rush, " Hinoko called over her shoulder, breaking into a run. "And I have just the thing!" she sent back. The girls blinked for a minute before tearing out after her. Duo shook his head to Quatre. "They're gonna learn that there's two ways to do this piloting thing: the scientists' way, and our way. Our way's a lot more fun." "Your way may be more fun, but the scientists' is funded!" Shimei snipped back at him, then waved for them to see her. When nine of them had caught up together, Hinoko was still missing. They looked around for her, but their search was fruitless. Hiiro smirked. "She got herself lost. Well, we'll catch up to her eventually, so what if she misses the first mission. It's her own fault, " he almost sneered. Then, bright lights hit him directy on and he shielded his eyes. "A SCHOOL bus?" Duo cracked up. "We're riding to the airport in a scoolbus. Way to go, Yuy!" he snickered and boarded the bright yellow automobile. "Take it or leave it. If you don't want to ride in it, get off. I got it for the image, you know, " Hinoko replied tartly. "Honestly, what are people going to think when a bunch of teenagers ride up in a sportscar or something? 'Car theives'. What teenager in their right mind is going to steal a school bus? None. That's why it works." "Well, apparently you will, Noko-chan. I would have prefered something a little classier, like a van, but I suppose a schoolbus will do, " Dominique cackled, gently ribbing her comerade. Duo shot her a thumbs up and she grinned at him. The ride after that was eventless. They signed in at the station just in time to catch their flight, and when they got onto the Earth, it was just beginning to get dark. Hinoko, keeping with their image, 'acquired' another schoolbus for their two day journey to the scientists' lair. As they climbed in, Duo made a cheeky remark about her obsession with schoolbuses. "Shut up, Baka. Maybe she puts care into the image we represent, so we don't get caught, " Wufei interjected, his reading glasses perched atop his nose. He returned to the volume he borrowed from Shimei and continued reading about how the chi could be manipulated into animal-like apparitions and actual creatures. "We'd better get some rest while we can. It's going to be a long ride, and an even longer week, " Hiiro commanded. "Aye aye, Mon Capitan!" Elizabeth quipped, pulling out her art pad and pencils. The entire show was topped off with a pert salute. He rolled his eyes and settled down in one of the seats. "If you people think I'm driving the entire time, you've got another thing coming. Who's taking second shift?" Hinoko demanded. "Not me, " Elizabeth giggled. "Last time I tried to drive I nearly ran over someone. Aa, in L4, all I had to do was really walk anywhere I needed to go." "I've never really needed to drive, and I never thought I would, so I never bothered to learn, " Quatre answered steadily. "I've always had a chauffer take me where I needed to go, so there was no real reason for me to learn at all." "Don' look at me!" Dominique held her hands up defensively. "I was a guerrila, and we worked on ground. I didn't ride in a car from the entire time between I was five to twelve. We got a car simply so our med. unit could get around faster, and there's no way 'Megami' was going to be taught to drive! They promised to drive me everywhere, so I never bothered asking." "I know, " Duo said. "I can take second shift, but you'll hafta wake me up, " he pulled his black cap down over his eyes. "I know, " Serena said shortly. "It was part of my drivers' ed course. My school had mandatory drivers' ed." "I know, " Hiiro offered. "Huh-uh, " Duo called from his reclined position. "Don't you dare let him drive. He drives like a bat outta Hell, and he can't steer. If by some miracle he actually has a license, someone better take it away from him.*" "No one that doesn't have a license or a permit is going to volunteer, so speak now or you're not driving, " Hinoko peered over her shoulder at the teenagers behind her. When there was no response, she sighed in anger. "Hasn't anyone ever heard of their learner's permit? Or their hardship license? You don't even need a job to get those!" "I can drive, " Trowa spoke up. "I know how, and I have a license. Got it under Dekim and Trowa. They thought everybody over fourteen needed a license." "Under Dekim and Trowa?" Shimei asked. He shook his head in dismissal. "Fine. So two of us can actually drive. Peachy friggin' keen. I'll take a three hour shift, and you, tall, dark, and silent, can take the one right after me. We'll switch after that, " Hinoko snapped. "Hey! What about me?" Serena demanded. "I've got a permit!" "Oh, so you do. When did you get it?" Hinoko coolly asked. "September this year, " she replied. "Then you take the shift after him, as long as he promises to keep an eye on you while you drive. You can't drive without a licensed driver in the passenger seat, so one of us HAS to stay up there, and it sure won't be me. I need to check my e-mail, " Hinoko snipped, turning back to the road. "Hn. Whatever, " over half of the occupants chorused at the same time, followed by giggles when they realized what had happened. "Y'know, I think the ten of us are going to get along rather nicely, " Elizabeth said softly, carefully drawing the stoic portrait they had made earlier that morning. 


	12. New Driver, Please?

Chapter 11  
  
By: Shanchan  
  
Fic by: Shanchan and rinoastar  
  
The ten teens were on the bright yellow school bus, and Hinoko was driving them to the scientist's lair. Even though the colony wasn't extrememly large, it was still large enough to need 18 hours to get from the airport to the scientist's lair.  
  
Hinoko ranted as she stared at the boring natrual resources mine, "I don't see why Grandpa had to give Hiiro the original mission! I mean I'd have done just as well! It's SO unfair!"  
  
"Well, it'd be kinda weird for you to be my roommate!" Duo said under his cap.  
  
"And why, pray tell, would I have to be your roommate?" Hinoko asked.  
  
"Duo, you're such a baka! She wouldn't be you roommate since she is a girl!" Hiiro muttered.  
  
"Hai! I guess you're right Hii-chan!"  
  
"And why didn't Grandpa make you get a liscence?" Hinoko directed another question at Hiiro.  
  
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out!" Serena, who was sitting three seats behind Hinoko, cut in.  
  
"How would you know?" Hinoko retorted.  
  
"Well, if you actually pay attention to what others say you'd know!" Serena replied haughtily.  
  
"Right. Whatever!"  
  
"Well, Noko-chan, I do recall Duo saying Hiiro drives like a maniac! So even if he got a liscence, it'd be taken away from him in less than two days. What's the point in that?" Serena pointed out.  
  
Hinoko sighed in exasperation. Why can't that blabber mouth just shut up and let the perfect soldier handle her questions? Afterall, he does know how to talk. Then again, Trowa was even more quiet than Hiiro. Quatre was somewhat open, but no where near as talkative as Duo. As for Wufei, Hinoko didn't know what to think of him. He seldom talked, and when he does, it usually end up being an insult to females. Possibly out of all the boys he was her least favorite! "Serena, go talk to Shimei or something! I'll tell you when it's your turn!"  
  
"No thanks, it's more fun buggin' you!" Serena said smiling.  
  
That made Duo giggle. The Silverman girl may be near perfect and quite rude at times, but she was a lot like himself. Of course, he prefered to bug Hiiro. Then again, she didn't know Hiiro very well, did she?  
  
"Hmph!" Hinoko decided to ignore Serena until it was Trowa's turn to drive. She didn't want to get mad at the half American and try to kill her before the mission ended.  
  
"Well, looks like she gave up!" Serena really hated how bossy Hinoko got sometimes. Sure, it's nice to know she didn't have to worry about oversleeping, but to be forced to get up at eight for no reason was NOT something she enjoyed.  
  
"You know, you shouldn't be so hard on her," Elizabeth said as she walked up to Serena and sat down beside her. She wanted to be able to see Shimei better for her picture and at the same time talk to Serena.  
  
"Hey, she deserved it!" Serena rushed in to defend herself.  
  
"Maybe you think so, but she was raised that way! It's not her fault!" The sympathetic girl told her friend.  
  
"You're right, and I'm planning on having a nice little chat with her grandfather on how to raise her! God dammit, you just can't turn people into machines. I mean, look at her! All she does is boss people around and tell us what to do! She's gotta have some life of her own outside of her grandfather! I've seen her true self before and I liked that Hinoko! I don't like this one though!" Serena told Elizabeth as she glanced over at the other girl's sketch pad.  
  
Elizabeth was an awesome artist. Just an hour into the trip and she had already finished drawing Duo, Hiiro, Quatre, herself, and Hinoko. She was working on Shimei. Serena watched as the artistic girl's slender fingers softly sketched an outline for Shimei's eyes. Then she started drawing in the pupils. Every bit of shading done seemed to fit perfectly. When Shimei's eyes were finished, Serena let out a soft whistle. Elizabeth had captured the young martial artist's pride, sorrow and determination in those eyes. The eyes seemed intense, but not so much that you were frightened by them for they also held a friendly look underneath. Serena was a good artist herself, but she was no where near the caliber Elizabeth had obtained.  
  
"Wow! That's so good! Is that the one you owe her?" Serena asked her friend.  
  
"No! I'm just working on this one for fun! I'll draw one for you two later. This one is for my gundam."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I want to post this picture of all of us on my gundam to remind myself who I'm protecting when I fight. It'll also remind me I'm not alone in this world and that there are others that actually understand me," Elizabeth told her friend.  
  
"But we don't need you're protection!" Serena argued.  
  
"Yes, but my other friends do. I drew this picture because you're my friends. I want to remember how you guys look for the rest of eternity."  
  
"Hm... that's sweet," Serema said softly. Then she added to herself,"I wish I could draw like that!"  
  
"Would you like me to teach you?" Elizabeth offered the other girl.  
  
"Sure, why not! That way I won't have to bug Hinoko!" Serena told her friend.  
  
"Do you need paper?"  
  
"Nope got some in my bag!" Serena said as she stood up and grabbed the bag from the seat infront of her. She then pulled out a 30-paged sketch pad that had a cover decorated with muticolored bug stickers, metalic blue pen, and five highligher colors. As Serena flipped over the cover, Elizabeth noticed Serena had done some simple drawings in pencil. Serena turned to a blank page and then dug out a few pencils and an eraser from her bag. Then she turned to Elizabeth, smiled and said, "Ok, ready!"  
  
Elizabeth spent the rest of Hinoko's shift and all of Trowa's shift to teach Serena how to draw.  
  
"Oi, baka! It's you're turn now!" Hinoko called to Serena at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  
  
"Ok, sheesh! Just because I'm allowed to drive doesn't mean I have to do it for three hours!" Serena said as she stood up and put her stuff into her bag. "Well, how do I drive this thing?"  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Hinoko asked.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena glared at Hinoko.  
  
"You do have a learner's permit, right?" Hinoko asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can drive!"Serena responded.  
  
"Didn't you learn?"  
  
"I was kidnapped by G two days before the class was to start!"  
  
"So you don't know how to drive?"  
  
"Yep! But you could always teach me since you're miss perfect and all!" Serena said sarcastically.  
  
"Fine! Sit down!" Hinoko ordered Serena to sit in the driver's seat Then she spent 15 minutes telling her how to do everything. "Got it now?"  
  
"Think so! I'm not a baka, you know!"  
  
"You sure do act like one!"  
  
"Hey! Stop it with the attitude!" Dominique yelled from her reading. "We're a team, right?"  
  
"Then why don't YOU drive?"  
  
"I don't have a permit or a license! They didn't think Megami needed one!"  
  
"Well, I'll need to talk to grandpa about this little problem!" Hinoko said.  
  
"Why don't YOU drive, since Hiiro can check the E-mail?" Serena asked.  
  
"Me, trust him! Ha! As if! Just because you think he's hot doesn't mean we need to trust him!" Hinoko blurted out.  
  
"Hey! That's not fair to jump to conclusions like that!" Serena yelled.  
  
"Will you two onna damara so I can read my book?" Wufei was getting impatient!  
  
"Fine! I'll drive!" Serena angrily turned her eyes on the road.  
  
"Trowa, make sure she doesn't ruin the bus!" Hinoko said as she plopped down on the back seat and typed away.  
  
"Ok" Trowa walked up behind Serena and kept an eye on her.  
  
Serena's driving was going pretty well after 10 minutes. Everyone had gone back to their original activities. Wufei and Shimei started a conversation involving chi.  
  
"Your book says that chi can be used to form apparition like animal. Is it true?" Wufei asked.  
  
Shimei nodded, "My mom wrote all these books. I remember her showing me when I was really little."  
  
"Can you do it?"  
  
"I've never tried. she died before she could show me how."  
  
"Oh. what did it look like?"  
  
"She said she needed work because she hadn't mastered the technique so it's not perfect yet. When she did it for me, I was ten. It was the day before they died. She made a rabbit. It was bluish white and floated on her hands. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever done and I told her that," Shimei trailed off.  
  
"Hm. That sound interesting. When are you going to try to do it?" Wufei asked. He was really starting to respect his cousin's determination and strength.  
  
"I don't know. I'm going to try when I'm ready."  
  
"Can it be used in battle?"  
  
Nodding slowly, Shimei said, "If you form a small eagle, the talons can hurt people. But it wastes chi and makes you a lot weaker. The only way I will be willing to use it in battle is when my chi level becomes nearly endless."  
  
"That's impossible!" Wufei said.  
  
"In martial arts, if you want something enough, anything is possible!" Shimei told her cousin.  
  
"But limitless chi? How can you attain that level?"  
  
"It is my mother's secret! She knew the path and she told me. Too bad she didn't get to start it," Shimei sighed and stared out the window.  
  
"You miss her don't you?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Do you miss your wife?" Shimei replied in a question. They both fell silent.  
  
"I'm sorry. I do miss her. She knew so much! I really respected her for knowledge in the art." Shimei told Wufei.  
  
"I can see why."  
  
Suddenly the bus came to a screeching stop. Elizabeth screamed and everyone was thrown forward.  
  
"What happened up there?" Hinoko yelled.  
  
"Serena crashed the bus!" Duo yelled back.  
  
"Trowa, weren't you supposed to watch her?"  
  
"I did!"  
  
"Serena! What are we going to do now?"  
  
"Well, it's your own fault! I told you I didn't know how to drive!"  
  
"Baka!"  
  
"Hey!" "Just get off the bus!"  
  
"Sure Hinoko! Do this do that! Can't you NOT give orders for once?"  
  
"Like you could do better? At least I don't crash the bus!"  
  
"Would you two just shut up?" Duo yelled.  
  
Serena glared at Hinoko. The blond glared back.  
  
"Well, isn't miss 'let's use a schoolbus' going to find us another one?" Serena asked after everyone had took their stuff and got off the bright yellow automobile.  
  
"Where am I to find another one?"  
  
"I don't know! It's you're brilliant plan in the first place!"  
  
Shimei sighed as she sat down on the ground and started to read. What are they to do now? 


	13. Setting Off Again

Chapter 12  
  
----------  
  
chapter by rinoastar  
  
fic by Shanchan and rinoastar  
  
----------  
  
"Oh, my!" Elizabeth gasped as she turned around to  
  
inspect the damage. "At least I've never hit anything!" she  
  
covered her mouth with one hand.  
  
"Hn!" Serena huffed, shouldering her bag and whipping  
  
her long hair behind her. "Then why didn't YOU drive?"  
  
"I'm not good at it, " the other girl replied, laughing.  
  
"I can't drive in traffic. I get nervous. And I've never driven  
  
for more than twenty minutes in succession."  
  
"Don't feel bad. We didn't want Hiiro driving, either.   
  
He's driven high speed chases and all, but he can't stay between  
  
the lines. Or the sides of the road, " Duo quipped, earning a  
  
glare from the Perfect Soldier.  
  
"Well, what do we do now?" Quatre spoke up, turning to  
  
the others. "It's sunny out today, so there's almost no chance  
  
of 'procuring' another without being seen, and with this being  
  
a traveled road, it's only moments before someone sees us and  
  
turns us in."  
  
"He's right. We have to go, " Hiiro stated calmly,  
  
picking up his pack and beginning to walk away.   
  
"Whoah! What do you think you're doing? Do you know  
  
we're about four hours' DRIVE away from our destination? We  
  
can't possibly walk!" Duo burst out, practically shaking.  
  
"It must be done. We can at least walk to the subway  
  
station, " he replied, glancing over his shoulder.   
  
The others glanced at one another for a few minutes before  
  
grabbing their packs and starting off. "Anou . . . " Shimei  
  
called, and even Hiiro stopped. "How am I going to go?" she asked.  
  
"I can't walk!"  
  
"She's YOUR cousin, Wu-man, " Duo chimed in, grabbing  
  
her bags. "You and Hiiro can carry her. She seems light enough."  
  
"What?!" Shimei squealed in protest as the Japanese boy  
  
and Chinese boy came to stand in front of her. "No way! I  
  
wouldn't be able to marry!"  
  
"Who would marry you?" Wufei teased lightly. "You're  
  
completely untraditional, like . . . " he trailed off, hefting  
  
her over his shoulder.  
  
"LET ME DOWN!" she kicked at him. Hiiro grabbed her and  
  
pulled her down, and she kicked at Wufei when her feet touched  
  
the ground.   
  
"Stop it. He WILL carry you, but not in the disgraceful  
  
manner he just was. Deal with it or walk yourself, " Hiiro said,  
  
placing her easily in Wufei's arms.  
  
"Ech. You're heavy, " Wufei told her, and she bared her  
  
teeth.   
  
"I bite, " she warned, and he chuckled.  
  
"You guys just met and you're already acting like brother  
  
and sister!" Elizabeth cheerfully giggled, balancing her bag in one  
  
hand and suitcase in the other.  
  
"Not necessarily. My sister and I never act like that, "   
  
Trowa quietly offered, glancing back at the Chinese youths.  
  
"You have a sister?" Elizabeth asked, turning to him.  
  
"Sort of. Her name's Catherine, and she acts like a sister, "  
  
he replied, then pointed to Hiiro, who was already ten meters in front  
  
of the group. "We'd better go on."  
  
"Aa, " Hinoko agreed, silently sliding her pocketknife into  
  
a pouch on the front of her bag. She set out after the Perfect Soldier  
  
in an equally brutal pace.  
  
---  
  
[Three Hours Later]  
  
"I'm tired, " Duo and Serena moaned at the same time. They  
  
turned to each other and laughed, then turned to look at the grumpy  
  
group leaders.  
  
"Grin and bare it, " Hinoko said.  
  
"Deal with it, " Hiiro told them.  
  
"Hn, " Wufei and Shimei both snorted, and Elizabeth laughed.  
  
"Oh, my! All of you sound exactly alike!" she chuckled, and  
  
Dominique blinked a minute before laughing, too.  
  
"She's right! You all sound just the same!" the French teen  
  
giggled, covering her mouth.  
  
"You couldn't be more similar if you were each other, " Trowa  
  
smirked slightly, the latino's eyes alight in mirth.   
  
Quatre laughed, too, holding his stomach. "Goodness! Two  
  
Pefrect Soldiers, two Shinigami, two Solitary Dragons?" he snickered  
  
at the thought.  
  
"And two European mercenaries, plus two artists from L4! What  
  
are the odds?" Dominique added, smiling.  
  
"I, for one, think the doctors planned it this way. There's  
  
really no other possible answer, if you think about it, " Shimei told  
  
the others. "It's too much of a coincidence that we should all match  
  
perfectly to one another. It makes the two teams work interchangeably,  
  
so that if something happened to one of us, he or she could be replaced  
  
by the other, with no lost chemistry, or even lost skill. The only  
  
loss would be the loss of time in tracking down the other pilots."  
  
"You may be right, but I'd like to think the doctors chose you  
  
even partially based on your credentials. I certainly wouldn't want to  
  
have to spend the battles rescuing a bunch of amateurs, " Wufei cut in.  
  
"And onna-tachi at that."  
  
"Hn. You'd think you already had a glimpse of our credentials,  
  
Wuffie, considering that we can outplay, outsmart, and outlast you at  
  
everything!" Serena pointed out.  
  
"What is this, Survivor? Who gives a damn if you can outplay,  
  
outlast, and outsmart? We need to know if you can pilot a mecha, "   
  
Duo interjected. "You're nothing if you can't. Well, nothing but dead  
  
meat."  
  
"And what makes you think we can't?" Dominique demanded. Her  
  
grey eyes narrowed and she frowned at him. "What makes you think that  
  
your team is so much better than ours? Just because you've had more  
  
training than us? Because you're men? We're just as good as you are  
  
on the battlefield, if not better!"   
  
"Better? Ha!" Wufei interrupted, his ego slightly bruised at  
  
the mention of his defeat. "Onna-tachi are not made for war. They  
  
are made to sit at home and cook and clean and darn our socks when we  
  
get in from winning the war!"  
  
"You wanna start something, Chang?" Serena snapped, rearing  
  
back. "I'm sick of your mysoginistic attitude. Are you gay or  
  
something? You seem to hate women almost as much as any k. d. lang  
  
or Indigo Girls or other Lilith Fest artist would hate men!"  
  
Wufei's eyes nearly popped out. "You'll never marry! No  
  
self-respecting traditional man would marry a demon like you! You  
  
would probably make him into the wife and wear the tuxedo yourself!"  
  
he angrily shouted at her.  
  
This time, Serena didn't have a chance. Hinoko strode quickly  
  
over to the fuming Chinese man and slapped him firmly across the face.  
  
"Shape up, Chang; it's a long walk home, and I intend to get back with  
  
at least nine out of ten teenagers. If you want to be the one left  
  
behind, I'm going to let her go ahead and beat you senseless, then  
  
drag you back to headquarters."  
  
Wufei's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. He calmly  
  
readjusted the weight of his luggage and began walking quicker.   
  
Elizabeth began to walk a little quicker and soon caught up with the  
  
other girl.  
  
"Don't you think that was a little harsh? I mean, I doubt he  
  
really meant it, and she was going to handle it herself without hurting  
  
his pride, " the sentimental pilot said softly.  
  
"Hn. He's going to have to accept the fact that there's a  
  
whole other gender to this species sometime. Better now than when he's  
  
causing problems in the group, " Hinoko replied.  
  
"She's right. This whole arguement needs to end. Now, " Hiiro  
  
ordered.  
  
"Bossy son of a-" Dominique began, but burst into laughter  
  
before she could finish. "Well, he is!" she told the others, who  
  
were staring at her. Duo snickered and pointed up the path to a small  
  
roadside hotel.  
  
" 'S getting late. We might want to shack up for a while, or  
  
at least until dawn, " he suggested. Hiiro made a face, but turned  
  
to the already setting sun.  
  
"Yes. It will begin to get cold soon, and the women may be  
  
uncomfortable. Also, there may be more training waiting for us  
  
when we get to the lab, so it will be best to get some rest. I'll  
  
get us another vehicle first thing tomorrow morning. Serena will NOT  
  
drive, " he informed them all.  
  
"Fine, " Serena huffed. "It's not like I wanted to, anyway!" 


	14. Return

Chapter 13  
  
Hinoko opened her eyes to the dim artificial light of the colony. Looking at her watch, she saw it was only 6:00 am. She tried fruitlessly to fall back to sleep, but after ten minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up. Dragging her tired body out of the warm sheets, she decided to check her E- mail while waiting for the others to wake up. Nothing new. Bored, Hinoko decided she wanted to write her grandfather a report. In said report, she informed him that they might be a few days late due to Serena's incompetence. Satisfied with herself, Hinoko stood up and stretched. The light was getting pretty bright, 6:38 am. Time to wake the others up.  
  
"Oi! Wake up!" The blond beauty bellowed.  
  
Dominique and Shimei, being light sleepers leaped out of bed. Elizabeth stirred and slowly forced open her sleepy eyes while Serena slept on soundly.  
  
Hinoko mumbled something as she tried to shake Serena up. The raven-haired girl merely turned over in bed and continued to sleep on. "Bakayaro! WAKE UP!" Hinoko yelled into the girl's ear.  
  
"Hey! Quiet! How is anyone to get some rest if you yell loud enough to wake the dead?" Serena mumbled sleepily as she put her pillow on top of her head to drown out the noise Hinoko was making.  
  
The other three girls giggled. Serena REALLY wasn't a morning person.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be yelling if you would just get up! It's already 6:45!" Hinoko screamed at the pathetic excuse for a pilot.  
  
That got Serena's attention. "6:45!!!! It's ONLY 6:45 AND YOU EXPECT ME TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL?!?!?!?!" Serena sat up and screamed at the other girl.  
  
"Well, looks like you're up!" Hinoko said smiling.  
  
"Shimatte! Tricked by the baka!" Serena sighed as she climbed out of bed.  
  
"Well, you shouldn't be so gullible!" Hinoko smiled slyly. Then, turning to the others, she announced, "I think it would best if we disguised ourselves as guys today."  
  
The others, with the exception of Shimei, stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Dominique was the first to recover from the initial shock.  
  
"NO WAY am I gonna cut my hair!" Serena wailed, gripping her dark, silky braid.  
  
Elizabeth blinked a few times and giggled, "Sere-chan, you're so silly! Just leave it to me!"  
  
Serena shot the gentle girl a skeptical look, "And how, pray tell, are you to take care of it?"  
  
Elizabeth smiled, her eyes twinkling, "I'm a master of disguises if I do say so myself!"  
  
Dominique snorted, "Yeah, you're modest too!" The comment brought her a pillow in her face.  
  
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Elizabeth laughed as she continued to pound Dominique with the pillow.  
  
"Cool it! I was just joking!" Dominique quickly grabbed her pillow to counterattack. Soon, the two girls were engaged in a massive pillow fight.  
  
"Well, Elizabeth, when you're finished with your pillow fight, tell me if there's anything you need. I have flour, make-up, hair extensions, colored contacts, and a lot of different styles of clothing," Shimei said as she searched her luggage for some things.  
  
"Flour?" Serena and Dominique wondered aloud. The pillow fight was forgotten.  
  
"Never mind," Elizabeth said quickly to the perplexed girls. Then, turning to Shimei, said, "No, we're no gonna do anything complex.... unless Miss Perfect Soldier wants us to completely change our features..." She glared at Hinoko, daring the blond to tell her they needed to do more than she wanted. Hinoko simply ignored her.  
  
"Ok, so just some hair and eye color changes, right?" Shimei asked.  
  
"Perfect."  
  
Shimei grabbed a small bag from her suitcase, opened it and tossed Elizabeth a few packets, "See if these would do. I'm gonna change now, so you can see what I can do without changing my natural features. Tell me what you think, K?"  
  
"Ok," Elizabeth said.  
  
"Fine with me, but hurry up! I don't have all day to wait! It's almost 7:00!" Hinoko replied also in her cold, emotionless tone.  
  
"Ok..." Shimei said, sounding a bit hurt.  
  
The blond ignored her and mumbling something, started to clean up the room. She then grabbed some things from her bag and started to change.  
  
The other three pilots chattered about disguises as they waited for Shimei.  
  
"So, what should I wear?" Serena asked Elizabeth as she eyed her reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Hm..." Elizabeth looked at the Chinese descendant. "Chinese style clothing would be nice... maybe you could get something from Wufei!" Elizabeth giggled.  
  
"NO WAY! I don't wanna wear ANY of that jerk's clothes!" Serena said.  
  
"Well, looks like we'll haveta see what Mei-chan can do!" Elizabeth told her.  
  
"What about me?" Dominique asked eagerly. This was fun, almost like fortune telling!  
  
"Hm..." Elizabeth said thoughtfully, "You could always try to do your hair like Trowa! That'll be fun!"  
  
Dominique looked at Elizabeth oddly, "You're kidding, right?"  
  
Elizabeth nodded her head and laughed, "What, did you think I'd be serious?"  
  
"Well, can we try to be serious?" Dominique asked.  
  
"Sure, why not? Ok, you could do what I like to do: wear a hat to hide the long hair," Elizabeth told Dominique. "Your hair would be pretty easy since it's so short and with some make-up and the right clothes, you'd look like a bishonen instead of a bishoujo!"  
  
"Cool!" Serena cut in. "Could you do the same for me?"  
  
"Why not?" Elizabeth laughed as she went over to her stuff to find the make- up.  
  
Just then, Hinoko announced, "How does this look?" She was wearing VERY baggy jeans and an old, baggy T-shirt under an army green Hawaiian shirt. Her long hair was piled up on the top of her head and hidden by a fisherman's hat made of old jean material. If it weren't for her eyes, people would think she was a boy.  
  
"What about your eyes?" Elizabeth pointed out.  
  
"Simple!" Hinoko responded as she put on some really cool sunglasses.  
  
"Show off!" Serena mumbled under her breath. "She just HAD to do it perfectly!"  
  
"Not really," Elizabeth said.  
  
"What did I do wrong?" Hinoko looked at the other girl.  
  
"You could've changed your eye color and hair color so no one would recognize you and you could've given yourself different bangs," Elizabeth stated.  
  
"No thanks, that gets too complicated," Hinoko said as she closed her suitcase and walked out the door. "I'm gonna go find us a ride!" She yelled, 1/2 way down the hall.  
  
The other girls stared at the door way as it closed. They sat in silence. Hinoko would be a great friend... if only she could open up more.  
  
The opening of the bathroom door startled everyone. Turning around, they saw Shimei, dressed and looking very much like Wufei with long hair. She was wearing white, silky pants very similar to that of Wufei's and also a white silk shirt with a black sash. Her long ebony hair was braided into a tight braid and Serena swore her hair seemed to be longer. To hide her bangs, Shimei wore a dome-shaped hat on her head. The sword she had was strapped on her back and she looked like a true fighter.  
  
"Wow! You look great Mei-chan!" Elizabeth said. Then the gentle girl looked at her friend's eyes. They had become a deep shade of purple, "I see you used your contacts too!"  
  
Shimei blushed, "Hai, I wanted to change as many features as possible without changing the fact that I'm Asian."  
  
"Well, you certainly look like a bishounen!" Elizabeth said laughing.  
  
"Hai! Mei-chan, could you do something for me? Maybe we could wear the same clothes!" Serena piped in.  
  
"Sure, why not! But I hope you don't mind black and red. That's all I have left!"  
  
"No, that'll be perfect!" Serena leaped up and hugged Shimei.  
  
"Well, come on! I'll show you how it's done," Shimei lead Serena to her suitcase.  
  
"Well, looks like you and I will have to work together, ne?" Elizabeth said to Dominique.  
  
"Hai, and I have a feeling we could do really well too!" Dominique smiled.  
  
For the next 1/2 an hour, the girls worked out their disguises and put them on. Serena got extensions for her braid so that it was as long as Shimei's. She also wore a dome shaped hat, and Shimei gave her a red Chinese style silk shirt and black pants of the same material. Dominique's disguise was not very different from Hinoko's. She had on a baseball cap along with the baggy jeans and T-shirt. Her hair was also hidden under the hat. As for Elizabeth, she wore Quatre-like clothing and hid her hair under a hat.  
  
The girls looked at each other and smiled. This was really funny looking at each other cross dress. Then, to make sure Hinoko wouldn't get mad at them, they packed their bags and headed over to the boys room. When they got there, the boys were already packed and they were locking the door.  
  
"Oi, Duo!" Serena called.  
  
Duo turned at her voice and was surprised to see two boys very much like Wufei, one dressed in 21st century clothes and another dressed like Quatre. "Who are you?"  
  
"Well, that depends! Who do you think we are?" Dominique asked, giggling.  
  
"..." Duo was speechless. Who were these weird boys that sounded like girls?  
  
"Is that you, Shimei?" Wufei asked his cousin.  
  
Shimei simply smiled and pulled out her sword, "What do you think?"  
  
"You look like a boy!" Wufei told her the obvious.  
  
"So?"  
  
"You're a girl!"  
  
"Well, Hua Mulan dressed as a boy!"  
  
"But that doesn't matter! You DON'T HAVE TO PROVE YOU CAN FIGHT!" Wufei yelled angrily.  
  
The others stared at them.  
  
"Maybe they should take this inside?" Serena whispered to Duo.  
  
"Not a bad idea!" Duo told her as he opened the door and pulled Wufei inside. The others quickly followed.  
  
"Wu-man! You can't start criticizing her whenever you see her! Especially since she's dressed up like a boy!" Duo told his friend as soon as they got inside.  
  
"If she acted like a woman instead of a warrior I wouldn't tell her what to do!" Wufei retorted.  
  
"I've never known how else to act. I was a warrior, a doctor, and a woman. I have my duties and I am fulfilling them. I don't care what you think for you are not my parents. If they were still alive, I trust they would agree with me!" Shimei told her cousin with determination. No way was she gonna back down this time!  
  
"Fine, do as you wish, but don't come to me when you get hurt or expect me to save you when you get into trouble!" The solitary dragon told his cousin.  
  
"Don't worry! I won't burden you!" Shimei told him coldly as she bolted out the door with her luggage.  
  
"Mei-chan!" Serena yelled chasing after her friend. Wufei was gonna die! He had to right to say things like that to Shimei. She couldn't stand how rude and arrogant Wufei was getting, especially since Shimei had defeated him.  
  
"Mei-chan!" Shimei heard Serena running up to her. Turning around, she noticed her vision had blurred.  
  
"Mei-chan... are you OK? Don't let him get to you," Serena tried to console her friend.  
  
"I'm Ok... just confused. My mind is so lost. I tried so hard to finally find him, and when I finally do, he hates me! I defeated him in battle, so he hates me! What am I supposed to do? I'm so confused!" Shimei dropped her luggage and wept on her friend's shoulder while she cried and told Serena everything in Chinese.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" Serena asked the trembling girl.  
  
"No, not unless you have complete domination over his mind."  
  
That was when the others had caught up. Wufei was trailing behind and stayed as far as possible from Shimei. The boys paid for the stay and they walked outside. There they waited for Hinoko. After 15 minutes, they heard a honk, and a bus appeared. The door opened and Hinoko jumped out in her disguise.  
  
"Well, everyone, get on! This is the perfect bus! The driver agreed to drive us to our destination if we paid in advance."  
  
"Have you paid yet?" Serena asked.  
  
"No, I was hoping we would cover the costs together."  
  
"I don't have any money!" Hiiro stated.  
  
"Neither do I!" Duo, Wufei, Elizabeth, Dominique, Trowa and Shimei chimed in.  
  
"I have money, but it's on L4... I can't go get it now..." Quatre said sadly.  
  
Hinoko turned to look at Serena. Sighing, Serena asked, "How much?"  
  
"$400. You have the cash, pay. If you don't get off!" the bus driver said.  
  
"Don't worry, I have it!" Serena said as she grabbed her bag and pulled out her diaries. Opening the back of the first one, she pulled out four 100- dollar bills. "Here, now please drive us to our destination!" She said as she handed the money to the driver.  
  
"Wow! Where'd you get the cash?" Duo gaped at the Chinese girl.  
  
"It was left for me from my parents. I just took some out of the bank to save for emergency purposes!" Serena smiled and said. Grabbing her bags, she followed the girls on the bus. "Oh, by the way, you five boys each owe me forty dollars or a favor!"  
  
"Why is that?" Duo asked.  
  
"It was MY money!" Serena told the others. "I don't like throwing away $200 dollars!"  
  
"What about the girl's share?"  
  
"The girls and I are a team! They need my help right now, so I offered the money. When I need help, I know they'll give it to me," Serena stated simply.  
  
"Well, aren't the TEN of us a team?" Duo asked.  
  
"Well, I don't know! Are we? You BOYS don't seem to think so! Especially not Wufei and Hiiro!"  
  
"Well, I think Quatre and I think the ten of us are a team! Don't you Quatre?" Duo said as he pulled Quatre next to him.  
  
"What?" Quatre asked, slightly confused.  
  
"Don't you think the ten of us are a team?" Duo filled him in.  
  
"Well, why not? I mean isn't that what the scientists wanted?" Quatre told Duo.  
  
"You see!" Duo announced to Serena.  
  
"Yeah, but you still owe me!" Serena said.  
  
"Ok. I'll pay you back when we get to my place," Quatre agreed.  
  
"Duo, you could learn a few things about manners from him," Serena teased the braided boy.  
  
"Hmph! It's not like I need you or anything!" Duo said as he turned around.  
  
"Oi! Could you write me an 'I owe you'?" Serena asked.  
  
"Fine! Anything to get you off my back!" Duo said as he got a piece of paper and scribbled a few words on it. Then he signed it with "Shinigami". Handing the piece of paper to Serena, he asked, "Is this good?"  
  
"Perfect!" Serena took it and walked over to Trowa, Wufei, and Hiiro. Trowa and Hiiro quickly wrote an 'I owe you' but Wufei refused to act.  
  
"Why should I do that for you Onna?" He asked rudely.  
  
"Hiiro, Duo and Trowa did it! And Quatre promised to pay me back!" Serena told him.  
  
"I know. But why should I be obligated to do it?" Wufei asked.  
  
"You're on this bus right? And I paid for it! So, if you want me to kick you off, feel free to NOT write me one!"  
  
"Onna, let me get this straight! You do us ONE LITTLE FAVOR and YOU want ME to owe you something?" Wufei asked angrily. He had never seen anyone who was more of a penny pincher.  
  
"Yeah! You do owe me forty dollars!" Serena replied with the same intensity. How could Wufei be so rude?  
  
They're argument continued for 15 minutes until the other finally calmed them down. Wufei finally agreed to write the note and everything was quiet for a while. Everyone found something to do and a few hours passed by rather quickly. The scenery changed also from barren land to forests. Suddenly, the sky darkened and they heard a voice over the intercom saying, "Stop the bus right now or we will shoot! If you value your life, don't fight back!"  
  
"W-wh-what sh-should I d-do?" The bus driver stuttered.  
  
"KEEP ON DRIVING!" Hinoko yelled at him.  
  
"Are you sure?" the man asked.  
  
"Yeah, unless you want to get killed!" Hinoko told him.  
  
The bus driver drove on. Hiiro looked up and saw 40 mobile suits chasing after them. "Leos!" He spat out.  
  
"How many?" Serena asked.  
  
"Forty."  
  
"That shouldn't be too hard!" Dominique said.  
  
"As long as they follow us to the lair!" Elizabeth reminded them.  
  
"Hn." Hiiro responded with a grunt. Directing his attention at the driver, he asked, "How long?"  
  
"About 15 more minutes to your destination. Are you sure this is the right place? It's weird for a buncha teens to come here!"  
  
"Don't worry! It's just a simple camping trip," Elizabeth quickly said.  
  
"With kids of SO varied cultural background? It doesn't take a genius to figure out something's fishy!" The bus driver said.  
  
"Well, we're from earth," Serena made something up as the others pretended this was not new to them.  
  
"Well, hopefully you kids will be careful!" The man told them.  
  
"We will! Don't worry!" The said in unison.  
  
That was when the Leo's spoke again, "This is your last warning! Stop the bus or we will be forced to fire!"  
  
"I don't think their joking kids!" The bus driver said.  
  
"JUST KEEP ON DRIVING!" Hiiro yelled at him.  
  
"Ok..."  
  
Suddenly there was a loud boom and the bus was knocked off the road. Elizabeth and Serena screamed. The bus swerved and hit a tree. When the ten pilots realized what had happened, they quickly got their luggage and jumped off the bus. Shimei was the last in line, and when she looked at the bus driver, she saw he was unconscious and bleeding.  
  
"I think he needs help!" the girl called out to the others.  
  
"Check him for breathing and a pulse. If it's ok, he'll be fine!" Hinoko told her.  
  
"Ok." Shimei followed her instruction and then got off the bus.  
  
Bullets flew everywhere as the Leo's attacked the bus and its occupants. The ten teens followed Hinoko into the forest and disappeared from view.  
  
"That was a close one!" Duo puffed.  
  
"Hai!" The others agreed as they all sat down next to a tree. Serena and Elizabeth were pretty shaken up considering they had never been on a battlefield before and Shimei was weeping.  
  
"Mei-chan, what's wrong?" Dominique was the first to notice.  
  
Shimei just continued to weep. Serena got up and sat down next to her friend. Then she put her arm around Shimei and whispered in Chinese, "What's wrong?"  
  
Shimei turned to Serena with tears in her eyes and replied in the same language, "That was so much like how mother died. She was shot when she tried to save me and father killed himself because he didn't want to leave her."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Serena held Shimei in her arms and allowed the small girl to cry her heart out.  
  
"Serena, it's great that you want Shimei to feel better, but we've got a battle to fight! So, either you two get up or you're on your own!" Hinoko barked out her orders.  
  
"Hn."Serena replied absent mindedly and motioned for Shimei to stand up. For once she though Hinoko was right. Shimei got up and the group followed Hinoko into the woods.  
  
"I know this place! Come on! We can get our Gundams!" Hinoko called out to the others.  
  
"Right! Let's get our Gundams and kick some ASS!" Duo yelled enthusiastically.  
  
The group moved quickly and soon reached the hangar. They set their things down and got into their suits.  
  
"Is everyone ready?" Hinoko cried out.  
  
"Hai!" answered 8 of the voices.  
  
"Hn," answered the other.  
  
The ten suits: Wing Zero, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron, Talon, Spritefire, Megami, Desertflower, and Xianfeng charged out the hanger and into the battle field.  
  
"Gundams! Attack!" One of the Leos shouted, but he was quickly cut in half by Duo's energy scythe.  
  
Serena used her buster rifle to blow one of the Leos also. The other pilots also did quite well with their Gundams. The boys, being more experienced, quickly annihilated their Leos. When they were about to help the girls, they were surprised to find the girls were doing quite well. Shimei's style was similar to Wufei's as she used her Martial Art skills to destroy her enemies. Serena wielded her twin katanas with skill and the others were also managing. In less than 2 minutes, the 40 Leos were destroyed and the ten Gundams stood in the forest. Their shiny metal glistened in the setting sun. The ten pilots got out of their Gundams. They stared at each other, and marveled at the magnificent Gundams. Wind blew through the trees and toyed with Shimei and Serena's braids but that was all -- everything else was silent and still.  
  
"Well, let's head back!" Dominique broke the silence. The others returned to their Gundams and they slowly trudged back to the lair where the scientists were waiting for them to give them their new mission. 


End file.
